Displaced Twilight
by TimtheVocalist
Summary: On the day the Prince is crowned, their world is swallowed by Darkness. Now, five warriors from the Twilight world work to survive, comfort one another... and seek retribution to the man who took everything from them. Chapter 17: A rose, a Beast, and a bunch of teenagers walk into a castle. And one of them has the Beast piping mad at them...
1. Twilight Citadel

**So... who else was excited for Kingdom Hearts 3?**

**So, my buddy BloodWingdAngel and I beat the most recent game in the series at almost the same time. And boy did our imaginations go wild yet again. Already, I am having way more fun than the last time we tried this out, so we figured, "Why not try again?" We included some major tweaks to the story, including personality shifting, age fixes and similar stuff.**

**Disclaimer: I, personally, do not own Kingdom Hearts. The series is owned by Disney and developed by Square Enix.**

**The original characters of Tenmei and Yumi belong to The King of Emerald, and Hikari, Ren, and Shun belong to BloodWingdAngel.**

XxXxXxX

_In the days before the founding of our beloved Citadel, there was a tumultuous conflict. Light and Dark constantly raged over the world, the forces never relenting in their assault or never surrendering where they stood. The war between the stars and the shadows escalated constantly, damaging our world with every clash._

_It was then, when it seemed the world was doomed to fall, a lifeless husk thanks to this eternal struggle, that the first King of Twilight rose. A master of the keyblade, who spent his life learning about both Light and Darkness, made a discovery; one could not exist without the other. Should one force claim hold of the world over the other, the land would be completely destroyed. So, with his strength and knowledge, he spent his life, keeping the world safe and balanced._

_During his constant vigil, the king fell in love, and his beloved queen gave birth to two beautiful boys. As they grew, the world became calmer and quieter, and it was only when the boys became men, that the reason for this was revealed. The Princes had balanced hearts, ones that understood both Light and Darkness, as one understood a friend or a lover. They mastered the path of Twilight, in ways their father could never even imagine, and to commemorate their peaceful kingdom, two beautiful keyblades, made to balance the Twilight as their masters did, were forged and given to the Princes._

_Alas, the king was a mortal, and soon, the title of King was passed to his older son, the Prince that wielded Twilight's Guardian, who believed that balance in their home was to be prioritized over all else. The younger twin, who bore Twilight's Balance, sought to bring his teachings to other worlds, and soon left the Citadel, to travel among the worlds and bring hope to those who needed it._

_Since the day of the first two Princes, the keyblades have very rarely been seen. Only a balanced heart, the heart of the Princes, could possibly hope to call them ever again._

* * *

A red haired girl smiled as she traced her fingers along the last words in her book. A purple pen was plucked from her ear, writing down the last few words she needed for her history report, before she gave a sigh. Most other girls her age hated studying and history, but she found it absolutely fascinating. Her older sister thought her odd, preferring to do anything that wasn't deemed "girly", but they got along well enough.

A moment to staple the pages together, and she was done. Now, what was it she could do? The rest of the day was hers to do with as she pleased, but that meant little when there was nothing to do. She sighed as she looked out her window, towards the citadel, the namesake of her beloved world.

Twilight Citadel. A beloved world, balanced upon the edge of Light and Dark. The days and nights were both calm and wondrous here, but the real beauty of the world shown as the sun rose and sank below the horizon, on those beautiful moments where Light and Dark were equal. The citadel, a beautiful castle made of marbled stone, stood proud and tall in the center of the town, with four large entrances which allowed the guards to come and go as they pleased, whether to take care of trouble or to end a shift.

She looked down from her window, seeing the people bustle about. Another thought hit her; tomorrow was the coronation of the new Prince, wasn't it? She could tell why people were excited; until the day they were ready, the Prince (or Princess) would take serious dedication to their studies, molded to become the perfect ruler of their world. This meant that, unfortunately, they had no one to call friend other than family. In the past, the princes of the citadel would sneak out, making friends with the local children.

But this newest prince... either he had never been caught... or he had never left the castle.

No one knew what he looked like... only that his name was Tenmei. The curiosity that steeped in her heart whenever she thought of the name arrived once more in full force, and as she stared at the citadel, she only knew one thing.

She wanted to meet this prince.

Once the idea was in her head, she knew she wouldn't be rid of it; she was going to sneak into the citadel. Or, at the very least, try. She had the combat skills to get by, if need be. It would probably be a bad idea to bring any weapons, so, she only grabbed her trusty shield, large enough to cover her body should anyone try to strike her. Her parents were out; they wouldn't know of her disappearance until either she returned... or she was dragged back.

Oh well. Better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission, right?

The redhead smiled, walking over to her wardrobe. Soon, a sapphire blue tunic and a pair of leather boots covered her black leggings, and she hefted up her circular, smooth shield, before strapping it to her back. She left a note on her desk next to her homework, telling anyone that came looking for her that she'd be back, and she immediately set out, rushing down the stairs as she made a beeline straight for her door.

"And where are you going at this hour, Yumi?" a voice suddenly rang out.

The redhead, now named Yumi, winced, flinching back from the door. Slowly, she turned her head, and spotted her older sister. "H-hey, Hikari... I thought you were out with your friends?" she asked, smiling nervously as she turned her back, trying to hide the shield on her person.

Hazel eyes met the violet ones, as Hikari swept some of her strawberry blonde hair from her face, "Ren had to take care of something for his father, and Shun got in trouble with the local guards, so I decided to book it before they got me involved as well." A deep sigh escaped her lips before she looked Yumi up and down. "Shield only?"

Poor Yumi could feel her heart beating a mile a minute. If she came up with a lie, it was highly likely her responsible older sister would catch it. She needed to give a very convincing reason why. "Yeah! I mean, I don't need a sword or knife with me all the time, right? If anyone messes with me while I'm out, I can just whack 'em with this and make a run for it." She gave Hikari a look, quirking an eyebrow to add that last bit of sassy flavor. "You did say you thought I was dumb for lugging a weapon around with me everywhere I go. Now you think I'm weird for only bringing a shield instead?"

"I definitely think you're acting weird right now, that's for sure..." the blonde said, crossing her arms over her purple tunic, and tapping her foot so that her grey pants bounced, her brown boots making the floor boards echo. "Don't lie to me. Tell me what you are doing."

Yumi swallowed nervously. She was already wary of her. That meant her chances of successfully pulling off a lie had plummeted greatly. She gave a frustrated groan, pulling on her hair a bit. "Grrr... fine, I'll tell you, but you have to _Twilight Promise_ you won't tell Mom, Dad, Grandpa Hiroto or anyone! Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah I got- ...Twilight Promise? ...well whatever, I promise." Hikari raised her eyebrow, wondering what in the Light's name her sister could be up to that had her this flustered.

Yumi walked over, looking out the windows a bit to make sure that no one important could hear her, and then looked at her sister. "I'm going to sneak into Twilight Citadel and meet the Prince."

Hikari blinked, looking at Yumi for a moment before uncrossing her arms, tugging a bit on her hair in deep thought. This caused Yumi to flinch a bit, recognizing that her sister was processing what she had said, before Hikari looked at her sister with a bit of a smug grin, "Do you even know how you're going to get in?"

Yumi blinked, not expecting that answer at all. "Uh...?"

"The castle is guarded day in and day out by multiple guards in a three window shift," Hikari explained. "Each section of the castle is watched like a hawk, no 14 year old is going to just be able to waltz in like 'Excuse me, Mr. Big Scary Guard Man, I'd like to meet your prince please!'"

Yumi blinked again, unsure of what to say at first, but soon shook her head in a huff. She was teasing her. "I thought this through! The best way in is through the northern garden! Guards rarely ever walk past there, and if I use Aero, I can use my shield as a glider to catch the wind and land safely inside! I'll be too heavy with a sword, so it's shield or bust!"

That was when she realized she had blurted her entire plan to her older, responsible sister, and began to panic inside. There was no way that Hikari would let her do that; the slightest hint of her getting hurt usually meant being grounded for a week and her sister being rewarded for tattling on her. _Ah, crapbaskets..._ she thought, flinching and closing her eyes in realization to how dumb she just was.

Hikari sighed to herself, shaking her head for a moment before giving a small smile at her sister. "Fine... see if it works, but that's how Shun got caught today and I'm not coming to bail you out. If you really want to get in, instead of gliding though the air, there is a crack just outside of the outer wall of the garden you MIGHT be able to get though... provided maintenance hasn't patched it yet. I noticed it when I was coming back home."

Yumi blinked again, looking up at Hikari. Confusion and awe glistened in her purple eyes. "You're... not gonna tell Mom and Dad? Why?"

"Because it is time you stop being treated like a child," Hikari said honestly. "You're 14 now, and you need to take responsibility for your own actions... if they get you hurt, arrested, or whatever. The guards aren't going to kill you, worst they'd do is rough you up and drag you back. Plus, as long as I lie, I get off trouble free, so why should I care?"

Yumi stared at her sister, convinced that wasn't the whole story. Then, like a lightbulb going off in her head, she realized why her sister knew all of this. "... You tried to sneak in and meet him too, didn't you?"

"Why do you think Shun is in trouble?" HIkari muttered, rolling her eyes. "Guy got me and Ren off though, said we were just dragged into it... then he called me his girlfriend again... anyway, me, Shun and Ren tried, failed, so if you do it then... get a picture or something."

Yumi gave a big, toothy grin. She wasn't completely sure why, but if her sister was willing to look the other way, this was special. "If I manage to do what my perfect older sister can't, I'll have dirt on you for years. Oh, I can see the mileage I'll get off of this already..."

Hikari narrowed her eyes at that, "Call it even for the _Padding Incident_, got it?"

That made the redhead blush so much, her face almost matched her hair, but she nodded. "Fine. I get a picture, you promise to _never_ bring that up again."

"Done deal," Hikari said, turning away and approaching the kitchen. "Oh, I should get to making desert... looking away... don't know my sister is leaving... think she's just in her room!"

Yumi couldn't help the soft smile that formed on her face. "See you later, sis", she said softly, before turning to the door, making her escape.

XxXxXxX

It didn't take long for Yumi to find the crack her sister had mentioned. True to her word, it was just big enough for her to slip in undetected. "Gonna guess this is where she, Ren, and Shun got caught... I don't think she'd fit in here, even if she tried to get past this." She then grumbled to herself, mentioning her sister's "curves" a couple times as she sidled through the crack, getting stuck once but managing to pull herself and her shield through the wall's breach. She looked around, noting that she was in a garden with quite a few flowers, all a brilliant shade of white that reflected the sunset's glow beautifully.

"Wow... pretty..." She then caught herself, shaking her head to remind herself of what she needed to do, and looked around. "No guards... I guess they don't know about that crack yet... or they're in the middle of shifts, so it might be safe here for a bit."

The sound of wood striking against metal caught the redhead's attention, and she turned to the east, away from the sun. Following the path through the garden, she came across a clearing, and spotted the source of the commotion. A white-haired boy, probably a year older than her, was practicing against a mannequin dummy, dressed in metal armor. He wielded a wooden blade, so as to not damage any real weapons she assumed, but his strikes were so fierce and accurate he might as well actually be attacking with a real sword. There were plenty of dents in the older armor, and the helmet had been knocked away some time ago.

The boy himself was quite a sight. His white locks were long and straight, traveling along to the small of his back. His bangs framed his face perfectly, stopping just at his cheek bones, while a tuft in the back poked up a bit. His red eyes were focused solely on the mannequin in front of him, and she could see from the sweat on his fair skin that he had been practicing for some time now. He wore only a black tank top as he practiced, with a pair of white shorts with black decals and a black belt keeping him decent. His shoes were black, etched with white decals that reminded her of vines.

"Whoa..." she whispered, watching him spar for a moment. "He's... really good."

"Thanks", came the sudden reply, and Yumi jumped, realizing who had said it. The boy turned to her, his red eyes piercing into her very soul. "It's nice to receive a complement every now and then."

Yumi stepped out from her hiding spot, by the white flowers, grabbing her wrist nervously. "Heheh... caught me, huh?"

"I knew you were here the moment you stepped through that crack", he told her. "You were 'caught' a while ago... I simply chose not to alert the guards to your presence." He motioned for her to come closer. "Now, if you want to keep it that way, you will tell me your name and why you are here."

Yumi flushed a bit, hearing that he had heard her step through almost immediately. Had he heard her griping about her sister? However, she decided to at least try to keep something secret from him. "Why should I? I bet as soon as I tell you, you'll rat me out to the guards."

"That's based on your intentions", the boy stated calmly. "And I can tell you mean no harm to anyone in this castle. So, unless you have a knife strapped to your thigh underneath that tunic, I have no reason to have you arrested." He held his hands up in a nonthreatening way. "What do you have to lose? It's no skin off of my nose."

The shield-maiden only stared warily at her "friend", but she did know what he said was true. She wasn't here to hurt anyone. Hell, if a guard had caught her, she would have cooperated right away, in the chance that it would get her out of this unharmed. "I... I want to meet the Prince of Twilight Citadel."

That gave the boy pause, and he raised a brow. "You risked getting caught by the guards and possibly arrested... just to meet the prince?"

"I mean.. yeah. No one knows what he's like, right?" Yumi countered. "I don't wanna wait until the coronation... I want to meet Prince Tenmei."

"And why should you be the one to meet him first?" he stated. "There are at least a dozen teens like you who have tried and failed to sneak in here. Why should you be different?"

Yumi pouted at that question. "Well... I think, personally, it'd be really cool to be the first person to meet Tenmei. But..." That was when her face fell. "He's never been seen outside of the castle. I don't know if he even has any friends... even if it's not me, wouldn't it be alright if someone tried?"

The boy's expression was hard to read, but soon he nodded. "Alright... then how about a deal?" he asked. "You spar with me. I win, you give up. You win... I introduce you to him personally. How does that sound?"

That gave Yumi a reason to pause. Something told her she should just leave now, while she had a chance. But her pride and stubbornness got the better of her. "Challenging me to a spar when I don't have a weapon? That seems fair, doesn't it?"

"What do you mean you don't have a weapon?" he countered. "I have a stick. You have a shield. I think you have the advantage here."

"... fair enough." Somehow, him pointing that out did not make her feel better, but she had gotten so far already. This was probably her only chance to meet the prince. "Fine. Any rules?"

"If you disarm me, I lose. If I knock you down three times, you lose. Deal?"

"Deal", she said, grabbing the shied off of her back. Once she was in position, she crouch a bit into her stance, staring him down. "Alright, come at me."

The boy let out a smirk, flipping his sword a bit, before rushing forward. His speed was incredible, faster than anyone she had met so far. A loud THUNK filled the air as his wooden sword struck against her shield, and the force of his attack knocked her off balance. With a startled yelp, she actually did a backflip in the air, landing on her gut with a grunt.

"That's one", he said. His smirk was gone, a look of boredom gracing his visage.

Yumi growled, getting back up. "That's the last one you'll get! Try again!"

He only shrugged, jumping back a bit. He lunged forward again, slashing upward and knocking her shield out of the way. He kicked forward, striking her in the gut and knocking her onto her butt, making her wheeze a bit.

"That's two", he stated. "You can still give up, you know."

"N-no! I'm not giving up!" Yumi growled, standing up again, though seriously panting.

_What in the Darkness am I doing?! I can't take this guy! He's way stronger than I am! Oh, what I wouldn't give to be able to use anything besides Aero!_

"Fine then", the boy said. "Last try." This time, he lunged from the side, swinging his sword in a sweep, aiming for her legs.

Yumi wasn't fully sure of what happened then. It seemed to her like time was slowing down, as she raised her left foot up. With a single stomp, she pinned the wooden blade down to the ground, and curled back her right fist. With a loud cry, she punched the boy in the face, knocking him back and forcing him to let go of his weapon. As she did, she lost her balance once more, and she found herself tumbling to the ground again, both herself and the boy hitting the ground at the same time.

There was a moment of silence, as both fighters processed what exactly happened. Then Yumi heard him... laughing. He started out with a soft chuckle, then it grew into a warm, true laugh, and she felt her heart grow just as warm. She couldn't help the smile and gleeful giggles that escaped her as well. Before she knew it, the boy was up again, standing above her and offering his hand.

"Well, a deal's a deal... you beat me fair and square", he stated, smiling down.

"I don't think so", she replied, taking his hand and sitting up. "I got knocked down three times, too. I lost."

The boy gave a chuckle at her logic. "How about we call it even, then? But, as a show of good faith... I'll still help you meet the prince."

Yumi nodded, grateful. "That was... fun. I don't think I've ever had a sparring partner like you before... it's too bad I won't be able to come here later." She tilted her head, smiling still. "My name is Yumi. What's yours?"

The boy only chuckled in response. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Yumi. My name... is Tenmei."

The last word hung in the air for a moment, as Yumi could only stare at him. Silence echoed around them for what seemed to be an eternity.

Then, in one fluid motion, Yumi took out her phone and quickly snapped a picture of him.

"Um... care to explain that?" the prince asked, raising a brow.

"Oh... uh... something I promised my sister", Yumi said, blushing as she realized how hasty she had been. "S-sorry, but... YOU'RE Tenmei?!"

"The one and only", he said, smiling. "Sorry I wasn't honest about it right away... can't let everyone know that I was fighting a girl who kicked my butt with only a shield, can I?"

That mention had Yumi blushing again, this time at how she acted. She just picked a fight with the Prince of Twilight Citadel. Nothing was going to top this in how weird this was.

"Say, Yumi... how would you like to have free access to this castle whenever?"

Yumi's eyes widened. "R-really? W-why would you do that?"

"Well, I can't have my bodyguard showing up through a crack in the wall every day, can I?"

That bit of information was just a bit too much for the redhead to handle, and all she knew, suddenly, was darkness.


	2. The Sun Sets

"YOU WHAT!?"

Hikari was staring at her sister in a state of pure shock, her eyes wide and her mouth dropped open. Yumi winced, covering her ears as the echo of her sister's voice vibrated off the walls of their house.

"I... met... and fought the Prince?" Yumi replied, speaking softly in hopes that her sister wouldn't freak out and scream again.

"... I'm shocked that you met him, but fighting him... for Light sake that is just a lot to process..." Hikari admitted, staring at the phone in Yumi's hand. "Though... gotta admit nice to see him... he's kinda cute too..."

Yumi only looked aside as her sister said that, hiding the blush at that sentence. "There's something else, too..."

Hikari blinked, looking at her sister as if she had just said she was a fifteen foot elephant heartless, "You met, fought, and snapped a picture of the Prince. What else could you POSSIBLY have to add to this already unbelievable story!?"

Yumi fidgeted under her sister's stare. "Well... since, technically, I fought him to a standstill with only my shield... he was impressed, and..." She then muttered the next part, almost as if she couldn't believe it was real herself.

"He what? What did he do?!"

"He asked me to be his bodyguard for the coronation!"

Hikari blinked, then began to pace the room. "I don't believe you... I mean, it's already unbelievable that you fought him, but then you drop that bombshell on me and I just-" With a frustrated growl, she turned on her heel after a feather flew past her face. "WILL YOU TWO BEHAVE FOR ONE BLOODY SECOND!?"

Yumi blinked, turning to see her sister was glaring at the two boys in the room, each one holding an almost deflated pillow in their hands. The boy closest to her blew a feather that was threatening to poke his green eye, the feather floating up and landing on his silver hair, which framed his face and draped down to his lower neck. "Sorry, Hikari, we were bored." He dropped the pillow, more feathers flying out and sticking to his black, short sleeved hoodie, one even threatening to fall into his white undershirt. The boy then yawned a bit, sitting on the ground which only caused more feathers to stick to his dark blue pants, his hands reaching for his black and white shoes as he stretched. "What are we talking about?"

"The fact that my sister did the impossible, and has more to add to that already impossible story, Ren!" Hikari shouted, giving him an irritated stare.

"Oh, so that's where she was when I came over", Ren mused, tilting his head and looking at Yumi with an impressed expression. "Quite the feat, I say."

"Eh, it's not that special," the other boy said, brushing some feathers out of his long, upper back length black hair, his yellow eyes following one as it floated daintily to the floor. "Prince or not, this guy doesn't sound all that grand to me."

"That's because you're a sour sport, Shun," Hikari grumbled, now giving him the same treatment as he brushed feathers off his black pants, the feathers falling onto his shoes, which were similar in color.

"Hey, I'm hard to impress, what can I say?" Shun stated, crossing his arms over his grey , short sleeved shirt. "Gonna take more then some prince to do that."

"Then why did you want to sneak in to meet him?" Ren said smugly.

Shun's eyes got a bit wider, his arms falling as he scratched the back of his head a bit. "Well..."

"I heard about what happened with you, Shun... the guards didn't hurt you, did they?" Yumi asked, concerned.

Shun smirked at that, sideways glancing at Hikari as he flexed a bit. "Not at all! Gonna take more then a few hired hands to hurt me!"

Hikari only gave a sigh in response, "Yeah... but you have no problem saying 'ouch' whenever my sister hits you with her shield."

At that, Shun got flustered again, only crossing his arms and grumbling about how the shield was made of metal and that would hurt anyone. Ren, meanwhile, only looked back at Yumi. "Bodyguard, huh? Guess that means you won't be sitting with us, then?"

"P-probably not", Yumi said, giving him a sheepish smile. She then brought her hands together, her fingers fidgeting a bit. "Honestly... I have no idea how I did that. Maybe my training with Grandpa paid off more than I thought it would... it still doesn't feel real..."

"What happened, exactly?" Hikari asked, looking at her sister with newfound interest. "Don't get me wrong, you're good... but from how you described the Prince, he sounded like he could fight Grandpa, and WIN!"

"I'm not sure... it was like... time just slowed down, yeah?" Yumi said, gesturing with her hands.. "Suddenly, I was moving before I even thought. I pinned his weapon down with my foot, since he was aiming at my legs, and... then I hit him with a right hook... I think I overextended a bit and-" She froze in her description, her eyes widening and her lips forming a silent scream for a second. "I hit him in the FACE! Why did he hire me when I hit him in the _FACE_?!"

"I dunno, maybe to arrest you in front of a watching audience?" Shun laughed, entertained by the thought of Yumi decking the Prince.

"NOT funny, Shun!" Hikari snapped, glaring at the feather covered teen, before turning to her sister with a look of confusion on her face. "I dunno... maybe he was impressed by what he saw."

"That or he fell for her," Ren added. Everyone stared at him blankly, the silver haired teen looking at them all in confusion. "What!? It was just a suggestion! People fall in love for weirder reasons!"

"N-not funny!" Yumi said, her cheeks turning bright red at that as she still looked absolutely terrified. "I feel really bad that I hit him, I do NOT need that confusion in my life, too!"

"Well... I still think he was just impressed by what he saw," Hikari noted, before another detail reared it's head. "Oh boy... how do we cover this one up with Strict Number 1 and 2..."

"Say the Prince fell in love with their daughter?" Shun suggested, laughing, which only earned him a swift smack on the head from Hikari.

"I-I can't hide that from them!" Yumi said, now in full panic mode. She stood up, starting to pace the floor in rapid, anxious steps. "If I try to lie to them, they'll figure it out as soon as they see me standing there with him! And then they'll learn how I got the job, and they'll ground me for life, and Grandpa's gonna stop training me, and-"

"What's this about me not training you anymore?"

"M-Master!" Ren stuttered, bowing as a new figure entered the room. The old man stepped slowly, stroking his long, white beard as he ran his hand along his purple robe, straightening out the few wrinkles. He then ran his hand over his white hair, looking to each teen, as if reading their very soul.

"Alright, what is going on?" he asked, his voice piercing the hearts of them all, the effect of it instant.

"I snuck into the Twilight Citadel and fought Prince Tenmei and now he wants me to be his body guard for the coronation!" Yumi blurted out, her eyes wide as she could not stop the stream of words from escaping.

"Yumi! Shut up!" Hikari hissed.

"Can't!" Yumi sobbed, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "Too scared!"

Hiroto stroked his beard some more, before he smiled. "Two students fighting one another... well, can't say that's the first time that's happened. Ren and Shun exist after all."

"Hey!" both of them said at once.

Yumi blinked, her demeanor only becoming slightly less stiff as she stared at her grandfather. "You... you're not mad at me?" she said with a sniff.

"Why would I be?" he asked, looking at her with a genuine look. "After all, you're only a child... I could give you a heart attack with some of the things I did in my youth... besides, everything turned out okay, so it's not like it matters, now does it? I'll talk to my daughter and see if we can't squeak you out of a punishment, hmm? It would be a shame for you to miss an important job due to being grounded."

Yumi gave a sigh, falling back onto her seat with a shaky breath, trying to recollect herself. "Oh, thank the Light..."

"Wait... students?" Ren suddenly realized, widening his eyes at his teacher. "You mean that-..."

"Correct," Hiroto grinned. "About time one of you realized I said that... yes, I trained Tenmei. After all, he IS the heir to the throne, and that has been the duty of many of teachers in the past."

"You trained the Prince?" Hikari finally caught up, wide eyed. "Why didn't you tell us?"

At that, Hiroto feigned emotional hurt. "I do tell you girls about my stories, but usually you drown them out or fall asleep!"

At that, Yumi felt her emotions spike once more, and she turned bright red yet again. "Grandpa! Not in front of Ren and Shun!" she hissed.

"Ah well, next time I'll tell you the one about how I acquired my Keyblade," Hiroto winked, turning to the door and looking over his shoulder at Ren. "Speaking of, after the event tomorrow we might work on summoning yours, Ren!"

Ren paused at this, looking at bit flustered. "Master... I'm still not sure I am a Keyblade Wielder. You say I am, but I just-"

"Oh, quit that!" Hiroto added, looking at him with his signature piercing look. "I know a Keyblader when I see it, and trust me, you are one... a very special one at that... anyway, time to prepare for a talk with my daughter..." And with that, he walked out of the room, muttering something about becoming too old for this.

Ren sighed at that, waving his hand in the air as if swinging a sword. "I've done all the training exercises, can basically disarm a person using only a stick, and have even been in danger before... so if I am worthy of a Keyblade, why hasn't mine appeared yet?"

Hikari looked at Ren with pity, frowning a bit. "It'll come to you in time... you just need to be patient."

Shun laughed at that, "Ren and patient don't mix."

"Funny," Hikari glared at him, a bit of bite on her words.

"Don't listen to him, Ren", Yumi said, giving him an encouraging smile. "I mean... if I... somehow impressed the prince... then you definitely have what it takes to summon a keyblade. Grandpa Hiroto isn't usually wrong about stuff like this." She reached over, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving a reassuring squeeze. "Just... have faith in him, alright?"

"That's right!" Hikari added, placing her hand on his other shoulder. "Besides, once you summon your Keyblade, Shun won't stand a chance!"

"Have to put me down, huh?" Shun asked, looking hurt from her words.

"Yeah... thanks guys!" Ren smiled, giving them a reaffirming nod, before looking forward and stretching out his hand, as if calling for something. "Maybe when I do summon my Keyblade, I can join the royal guard... that'd be something, huh?"

"Fat chance!" Shun laughed jokingly. "I'll be in the royal guard way before you!"

"Yeah, right!" Ren smirked, reaching over and gently punching Shun's shoulder. "As if they'd let a troublemaker like _you_ in!" Shun couldn't argue that, and let out a chuckle of his own.

"Well, when you do get there, remember who your senior is!" Yumi stated, placing her hands on her hips and puffing up a bit. Everyone in the room began to laugh at that.

XxXxXxX

"I'm back!" Ren shouted, walking into the foyer of the two floor house, kicking off his shoes revealing grey socks.

"Ren, you're just in time!" a masculine voice came from the kitchen. "Help me prep the sweets were going to hand off at the coronation tomorrow!"

"Shouldn't that be something Mom handles?" Ren asked, looking worried at the thought of his father being near anything edible.

"Oh, settle down," his father stated, sounding a bit hurt. "Your mom already cooked them, and we just need to put them in containers so they don't go bad. Now get in here!"

"Alright," Ren nodded, walking into the kitchen, where his father was moving cookies, brownies, and other delicious treats into various clear containers.

"Still wearing your lab coat, huh Dad?" Ren asked, looking over his father's white outfit.

"Just got home," his dad stated, looking tired, bags practically forming under his brown eyes as they spoke. "Heard there was a ruckus in the castle earlier as well, so they made me stay late to be sure... even though that is not my job..."

Ren had to hold back his laugh, knowing exactly what said 'ruckus' was. "Sounds like you had an eventful day."

Ren's dad laughed, picking up a huge tray and dumping the contents all at once into another container. "And then I come home and have to do _this_... well, your mom was the one cooking all day, so I don't blame her for wanting to rest."

Ren looked at his father and frowned a bit, "Wasn't the best day for me either..."

"Don't tell me that kid Shun got you and Hikari in trouble again..."

"N-no," Ren stuttered, though the quirk of his father's eyebrow told him that he wasn't buying it. "J-just failed to summon my Keyblade is all."

"Ah, well... that'll come in time..." the father paused, looking at the next tray of sweets. He then looked back at his son, an alarmingly calm look on his face despite the stress he had been through that day. "Have I ever told you about the Legend of the Prince of Twilight?"

Ren rolled his eyes at that, "Yes... repeatedly. But why is that important now?"

At first, it seemed like he was going to say something else, but Ren watched as his father only shook his head, returning to the task at hand. "Don't worry about it... just promise me you will attend tomorrow, ok?"

"Not that I have a choice," Ren added with a bit of salt. "If Mom doesn't make me go, Master Hiroto will. And if Master Hiroto doesn't make me go, Hikari will! And if Hikari doesn't make me go, then-"

"I think I get the picture", his old man chuckled. "But still...?"

Ren looked at his father with a bit of skeptical wonder, before finally sighing. "Yeah... I'll be there. Even though it is my birthday and I'd rather be spending it doing ANYTHING else."

"I promise, as soon as it's done, we'll take you to your favorite places to celebrate", he said with a weary smile. "Now, give me a hand, will you? The sooner we're done, the sooner we can all take a break."

XxXxXxX

"Couldn't have gotten us better seats, Hikari?" Shun asked with a bitter tone, trying to see over the head of a tall man sitting in front of him.

"Hey, I don't choose where other people sit. Now quiet," Hikari hissed, glaring over at him. "They're about to start."

Almost like clockwork, the sound of the trumpets filled the air. Ren looked over at the castle steps as several guards began to file out in formation, each one staring straight ahead and not wavering once in their movements. They all stepped to the side as a tall, sculpted figure stepped forward. His hair was a silvery grey, and a goatee framed his mouth perfectly as he walked along. His crown was silver and plain, showing both his regality and his humanity. He wore only a fine suit, with tassels hanging from his shoulders. His many badges showed his military service, and his yellow eyes stared out toward the crowd before him. Ren could see the prince stepping forward as well, with Yumi following close behind him. She was dressed in an elegant suit as well, wielding a much fancier shield on her arm. Despite it's ornate appearance, she seemed to hold it like she had been all her life, showing off her mastery of the shield.

Tenmei himself did not wear a crown yet; he would be crowned once his title had been announced. He looked out toward the crowd, and Ren could've sworn that his brow furrowed a bit in confusion as he looked over his people. "Is it just me, or does the prince look... worried?" Ren stated, glancing over at Hikari and Shun.

"Probably the first time he's seen this many people before," Shun suggested, shrugging. "Don't forget, it is his first time being exposed to the public."

Ren looked at him for a moment longer, before turning back to Tenmei. As he looked at the Prince's face, he could almost feel the same sense of dread the Prince seemed to be feeling... in fact, it felt as though something terrible might happen at any moment.

"My beloved citizens... it is on this day that we celebrate the crowning of our Prince", the king bellowed, loud enough for everyone to hear. "It is not only the day of our sacred coronation... but it is also my son's fifteenth birthday." This caused Ren to blink in surprise, as it was also HIS fifteenth birthday on this very day. "I am humbled to not only share his crowning with you all... but to also share in the joy that his birth has brought our family and kingdom is more than I could ever ask for. I thank you all for the wondrous gifts you have brought today, and will ask that all of you stay, if you would, to celebrate with us. Of course, it is only a request; should you have urgent business, I will not find offense in you leaving a bit early." The king gave the first smile of his whole speech, showing that he, indeed, was happy with the day. "And now... we shall crown my son... Tenmei... the next Prince of Twilight."

"He forgot the Citadel part," Shun critiqued, looking bored.

"Must be from the pressure," Hikari noted, looking towards Ren and Shun, before realizing the Ren was glancing around in a frantic matter. "Ren, are you ok?"

"Something's wrong..." Ren muttered, looking worried.

Meanwhile, on stage, Yumi noticed the same thing with Tenmei. "Your highness...?"

That was when Tenmei turned to her, a look of fear on his face. "You need to go. Now."

"W-what?" she asked softly, confused. "I'm supposed to-"

"I know what you're supposed to do, Yumi, but trust me on this; go to your family. Do not let them out of your sight." He looked forward, staring at one specific spot in front of them. "Darkness is coming... and I don't think our guards will be able to handle it."

Almost as soon as he said that, a dark portal appeared out of nowhere, causing gasps and mummers from the crowd of people gathered there. From the darkness, stepped an elderly man, his hair black and grey in streaks, his orange eyes locked on the king, hatred practically flowing from his glance. "Hello... old friend."

"Xao!" the king bellowed, glaring back in vehement disdain. "You have no business being here, traitor! Turn back and flee now, before I have you killed on sight!"

Xao only scoffed at this, unthreatened by the declaration on his life. "You're underestimating me, Yami... you think I am still the same man I was fifteen years ago... but you are dead wrong, my former friend..."

"How dare you-!" King Yami moved to reach for his sword, but his son stepped forward, catching his father's shoulder. It only took one glance from his son to know something was wrong; fear was clearly evident in Tenmei's eyes, even though he was doing his best to look strong. The prince then stepped froward, staring Xao down.

"Why have you returned, Xao, enemy of the Citadel?" he asked, trying to look strong for his people. "I'm certain you didn't show up to wish me a happy birthday."

"You're correct in your assumption, Prince," Xao stated, spitting the last word with the upmost loathing in his voice. "I am here... to give a demonstration."

"A demonstration..." a guard to Tenmei's right muttered, almost laughing. "Please... YOU DIE HERE!"

"WAIT!" King Yami shouted, but it was too late. The guard ran forward, and was instantly struck down by Xao, who pulled a sword as if from nowhere, almost as if he had summoned it to his side. Yumi gasped, not having even seen the man move, her instincts telling her immediately that not only was she outmatched, but everyone else here was as well.

"That... was just one heart," Xao muttered, hunger in his eyes. "And now, Prince Tenmei... watch as your entire kingdom is fed to my dark army."

Tenmei gave a glare, steeling his nerves. He knew he didn't stand a chance. But if what Xao said was true, then he had more than enough dark power to push this world to ruin. But it was his sworn duty to protect his people. And so, he threw off the ceremonial cape he had been forced to wear, and held his hand up. "Then... by my right, and as my first action as Prince of Twilight... I will do everything in my power to defy you, Xao!"

A flash of light and shadow formed in his hand, and the crowd gasped. Even Xao was shocked. The weapon in Tenmei's hand was a Keyblade unlike any other. The main shaft was evident, reminiscent of the most basic keyblade frames, but it was decorated with tendrils of light and darkness that traveled along the blade, coming to a point to make the tip and teeth. Four teeth on one side, pointed outward and painted black, and four teeth on the other, facing inward as they reflected the purest light. The handle was reminiscent of a sun on one side, the white spikes pointing outward, away from his fingers, while the black moon curved over the other side, completing the arc. A heart, broken in half and colored white and black, hung from the base of the handle, swinging by its chain as he swung the blade into position.

Tenmei had summoned the legendary keyblade, Twilight's Guardian.

Xao recovered from his shock, a sinister smile forming on his face. "Unexpected... but not unwelcome... in fact, this is going to make this even more enjoyable for me." With a snap of his fingers, more shadows appeared like the one Xao emerged from, only these were smaller, and coming from them were ant like creatures with yellow eyes, which glowed in hunger as they looked around, moving erratically. A few people screamed as the creatures swarmed the area, panic raising rapidly as the lust for blood filled the air.

"Kill them all."


	3. The Doomed World

As the creatures swarmed the crowd, Prince Tenmei and King Yami both took their stand. "Guards! Protect the citizens! Get them out of here!" the king ordered, while his son rushed off the stage, catching his father's attention. "Tenmei! Where are you going?!"

"To protect my people!" Tenmei stated, brandishing his weapon and catching the attention of many of the beasts. "Heartless! If you're looking for a tasty snack, I have a keyblade wielding heart waiting for you! Come and get it!"

While not effective on all of the heartless, many of the shadow creatures could not resist the temptation, and began swarming around the prince. But he was no pushover; he began his elegant dance, swinging his weapon like a pro as he began his fight, destroying Shadow after Shadow. To the untrained eye, he looked more than competent enough to take on the army of Shadows by himself.

"Ren, we need to move!" Hikari shouted, tugging on her friend's arm.

"But, they need help!" Ren shouted, pointing towards Tenmei and the king.

"And what can you do, boy?" came the voice of his teacher. Hiroto stepped forward, holding out his hand. In a flash, a bronze colored keyblade with a square, platinum handle appeared, the teeth of the blade in the shape of a star. "Get moving! I will do all I can to protect you and the civilians! You, Hikari and Shun need to find Yumi and get somewhere safe!"

"But..." Ren began to protest, though a shadow leaping over the crowd directly at him cut him off.

"Blizzard!" Hikari shouted, holding out her hand, shooting a bolt of ice from her outstretched fingers, which struck the heartless down instantly. "Grandpa is right, Ren! Come on!" And without waiting for him to argue, Hikari grabbed both Ren and Shun's hands and began to drag them through the crowd.

While they escaped, Tenmei continued his battle, striking down the last Heartless that had fallen for his taunt. However, he knew it was far from over. He looked back, seeing Hiroto standing his ground, and leapt to the old man's side. "Master!" he yelled, cutting down yet another Shadow as he landed. "I'm glad you made it to the coronation... I apologize that it didn't go quite as planned!"

"Focus, my Prince," Hiroto stated, looking at Tenmei only briefly as he struck down another heartless. "There will come a time for apologies. But for now, we must do our part."

Tenmei, however, did not smile at the assurance. He felt how much darkness there was stretching over this world, after all. "If we make it, that is... but I do not see an end to these Heartless, Master... it's as if our world finally teetered over to the dark realm itself..." He let out a grunt as he took out three of the shadows with one swing. "What has Xao done?!"

Hiroto took a moment to reply, destroying no less then a dozen Heartless in the meantime. "He has opened the keyhole to the heart of our world..."

"If that's the case, then where is this keyhole?" Tenmei asked, looking panicked at his teacher, pleading for the answer. "If I can get to it and lock it before it gets too bad, we can at least hold off his attack! We can save our world, if nothing else!"

Hiroto only shook his head, looking grim as he watched some people get swallowed by the darkness. "That, your highness... is something that I do not know..."

Tenmei's eyes widened at that. He then looked over to Xao, who was grinning gleefully as he watched his Heartless strike out. Rage enveloped the prince, and he let out a growl. "Then... by my right as Prince... I order you to collect as many of our people as you can... and escape this doomed world."

"And what of you?" Hiroto asked, staring back at the prince in shock. "Surely you don't intend to-"

Tenmei glared ahead, gripping his keyblade with both hands. "I will hold off the commander of the Heartless for as long as I can. It is the most I can do for my people!"

"Tenmei, no!" Hiroto shouted, but it was too late. Tenmei rushed forward, just as Xao trust his hand forward and unleashed a sea of heartless towards another group. As the two clashed blades, the heartless sea devoured all in it's path, flying through the crowd as if it was a hot knife through butter. The swarm continued it's rampage, until finally it broke free from the crowd and began to chase down any and all fleeing, including Ren and his friends.

"They're gaining on us!" Shun shouted, panting as he ran to keep up with HIkari and Ren.

"Fire!" Hikari shouted, holding her hand out behind her, but her fireball did barely anything to the swarm, only knocking a few lose from the giant tornado that was forming behind them. The trio raced around a corner, only to be met with a wall of stone. Hikari and Shun gasped, turning around to face the sea of darkness that threatened to send them to their demise.

"Thunder!" HIkari shouted, attempting yet another spell. This one was a bit more effective, but again, the swarms was simply too large. They began to close in, hunger echoing in their glowing eyes.

And before they knew what had happened, the sea struck.

Ren scrunched his eyes shut, gritting his teeth, but found that no pain came to him. Stunned, but still wary, he began to open his eyes, shock filling him as he found he was no longer at Twilight Citadel, but instead was standing on a stained glass platform. He looked down, seeing a white and black pattern on the glass, and images of him, Hikari, Shun, and Yumi painted onto the glass. Confusion was etched on his face, as he took some careful steps forward, looking around farther and seeing nothing but darkness.

"...is this heaven?" Ren asked, looking a bit panicked.

**No,** a voice echoed.

"Then... where am I?" Ren questioned, looking around for the source of the voice. "And who are you?"

**Light... Darkness... One cannot exist without the other,** the voice echoed again. **To have them out of balance, would bring the world to ruin.**

"That old story again?" Ren asked, his face twisting into a harsh glare. "Come on!"

**You saw for yourself the truth. When the prince summoned one of the two blades of legend.**

"Okay, and?" Ren scowled.

**You... Ren... are the other link.**

"The who of what now?" Ren asked, the scowl vanishing immediately, but suddenly a sea of light and shadow formed around him, enveloping him. Ren gasped as the light and darkness swallowed him, pulling him into the center of the stained-glass platform, despite the boy's struggles to escape from the trap.

**Go, Ren... Wielder of Twilight's Balance.**

Ren gasped, suddenly finding himself standing in Twilight's Citadel again. The swarm of heartless was gone, and both Hikari and Shun were on the ground, looking up at him shocked. Ren blinked, attempting to process what had happened, only to find himself holding onto something. He looked down, and gasped at what was in his hands. A keyblade had appeared there, one similar to the one he had seen Tenmei summon just minutes before. The guard of the blade had one angel wing, white as snow, on one side; the other side had a demonic wing as black as the night sky. A purple gem that shined in the sun set in the center of the guard, and from it emerged two separate blades, one white and one black. The two blades crossed twice, before extending outwards and meeting at the top. The teeth of the blade were three pointed, with a half circle housing the three points, the same color as the blade they emerged from. A yin-yang symbol danged off a chain from the base of the handle, signifying the blade was truly a keyblade with the keychain.

"Ren... that's a keyblade," Hikari gasped, looking in awe at the blade.

"But... what kind of keyblade is that?" Shun asked.

Ren only had a moment to ponder it before a swarm of heartless appeared, and acting purely on instant, Ren struck most of them down in one fell swoop before turning to his friends. "I'm going back! I need to save those people, and help Master and the Prince!"

"Wait, Ren!" Hikari shouted, but her cry couldn't reach him as he was already sprinting off in the direction they had come from, slashing at any heartless that dare to stand in his way.

As he ran back, Tenmei let out a loud grunt as he was kicked away, his keyblade temporarily leaving his hand. The prince, however, springboarded off of a shadow's head, flying in the air and catching Twilight's Guradian mid flip, before striking straight down, destroying the heartless that clammored to attack him. He glared at his enemy, a man he hadn't even gotten a single strike.

"You bastard..." Tenmei panted out, staring Xao down with nothing but anger. "You destroyed what used to be your home... why?! Why have you turned from the path of Twilight?!"

Xao smirked at that, almost as if glad that Tenmei had asked him that question. "Have I? Twilight... the state when Darkness and Light are in perfect balance, and your duty to guard them and make sure one never out powers the other... is what your kingdom really offers this?" He gestured to the crumbling world around them, the buildings surrounding the castle slowly being engulfed in shadows. "Is safeguarding the people here not denying Darkness from running it's destructive course?"

"Protecting my people from the raw darkness while they live here is our duty!" Tenmei shouted in defiance. "They have the option to delve into the darkness, to learn what lurks underneath, but this castle- no, this world is a beacon in an otherwise unforgiving sea!"

Xao only chuckled at this. "Your father has truly passed on his ignorance onto you... a shame..." Xao stepped forward, eying Tenmei carefully. "Very well, I'll let you in on a secret, boy... I came here for not just one reason, but two."

"I care not for your second reason, you monster", Tenmei snarled. He brought his keyblade into his right hand, pointing at Xao's chest. "You murder my people, destroy my home... I couldn't care if your secret was they key to controlling Kingdom Hearts itself. I will destroy you for what you have done!"

Xao only chuckled again. "Very well... then you will find out my second reason, when I strike you down!" Xao raised his arm, but suddenly he glanced to his right, as if something caught his eye. "Well now... once again, I am surprised."

Tenmei followed his gaze, and spotted Ren running back to the fight. Panicked, he spoke up, holding his free hand towards him. "Get back! You need to get out of here, it's not safe for citi...zens..." That was when his eyes landed on Ren's weapon, and his jaw dropped in shock. "Twilight's... Balance...?"

"The second of the two Legendary Keyblades from the Realm Between..." Xao smiled, as if a child receiving the best gift on Christmas. "Who would have thought that there be not one here... but two..."

Ren scoffed at Xao, readying his weapon. "You're done, Xao! You can't take us both on!"

Tenmei soon collected himself, and steeled his gaze as he glared defiantly at the madman. His arm raised once more, taking another battle stance as an orb of light started glowing in his palm. "You will call off your Heartless and leave this world or we shall strike you down, here and now!"

Xao looked from Tenmei, back to Ren, and back to Tenmei again. The grin on the man's face only getting bigger with each glance. "Now, why would I do that? My goal... is just within reach now, Tenmei... and besides, I'm still winning... can you feel the hearts of this kingdom cry out as they are taken? Can you hear the screams of the people as they lose what little light they have left? No, Tenmei, I will not leave... until I have what I came for."

"And what would that be?" Ren asked, stepping forward.

It was only now that Tenmei seemed to feel it click in his mind. He glanced over at Ren, and his eyes widened, seeing something he had not seen before. He didn't want to believe it, but now he had no choice. He looked back to Xao.

"Our hearts", he whispered, for the first time wavering in fear. "He came to collect hearts of Light and Darkness... and what would be most beneficial to you than two hearts of Twilight?"

"And he answered correctly," Xao whispered, looking at Tenmei's now terrified expression, to Ren's confused one. "The two reincarnations of the First King's sons, two individuals with hearts equally balanced... never wavering no matter what... yes, Tenmei, I will claim your hearts for my own purposes..."

"No, you won't!" a defiant voice echoed into the air. Tenmei and Ren both turned, as Hiroto emerged from some stone rubble nearby, holding his keyblade in the air. His purple robe had been dirtied and torn, and his once sleek hair was now covered in dust and dirt, very ratty in comparison. "Xao... I will do now what I should have done so many years ago... what our King failed to do!"

Xao looked at Hiroto as if seeing something revolting crawl out from the dirt, "Please... spare me your heroic speech, old man. You can hardly wield that weapon, and you expect to stop me?"

Hiroto sighed, lowering his head, before raising it again and forming a smile on his face, stepping forward with his keyblade held firmly in his hand. "You two... I want you to look after whoever makes it through this... promise me that."

"Master..." Tenmei's voice shool, hearing the finality in Hiroto's voice. "Y-you can't... my training's not complete..."

"Your training will have to be on your own now, Tenmei," Hiroto informed him, staring at Tenmei with his signature look, as if staring into Tenmei's heart.

"Master, what are you doing!?" Ren shouted, running to his side.

"Ren," Hiroto smiled down at him, placing an old, tired hand on his student's head, ruffling his silver hair. "I am... so proud. I knew you were a keyblade wielder, didn't I? Now, please... look after Hikari and Yumi. They need you..." Hiroto then stepped forward, light appearing around him in an aura of power, getting brighter and brighter as he walked forward. Xao's eyes widened, fear finally falling on the man's face as he seemed to realize what was happening.

"MASTER!" Ren shouted, attempting to run forward, but a sudden pulse of light knocked him back. Hiroto gave one last warm smile, his body vanishing into specks of light, his heart vanishing almost as quickly as it appeared, and the enemy let out a loud cry of pain, the light severing him from the darkness, if only momentarily.

Tenmei felt his tears streaming down his face, but he clasped his hands together. His keyblade began shining with light as well, and he took careful aim at Xao, who was doing his best to hold his ground against Hiroto's final strike. With an angry roar, he unleashed his own attack, a beam of pure light shooting forward and piercing through Xao. As he screamed in anger and pain, Xao felt himself being ripped away, and in an instant, he was gone, banished from the doomed world.

"Master..." Ren muttered, falling to his knees, dropping his keyblade, which instantly vanished in a sea of light and shadow energy. "He... can't be..."

Tenmei wiped his tears away hastily, though it was obvious he was hurt by this as well. He grabbed Ren's shoulder, forcing him to stand again. "Come on! The world is falling! We have to find the last hearts that still resonate and get them out of here!"

Ren looked at Tenmei, fresh tears erupting, before he wiped them away, nodding as he summoned his new weapon to his side. "Ok."

"If we get through this... you and I are going to have quite the long talk... cousin", Tenmei stated. He looked toward the city. "I sense three hearts... I can't believe it... they... they're all that's left..." He then shook his head, gripping Twilight's Guardian tighter. "Come on! If we don't hurry, they might fall with the world, too!"

"Hikari, Yumi, Shun!" Ren shouted, and with newfound strength, he sprinted forward, praying with every ounce of his heart that they were the three still standing from the slaughter. The two twilight teens ran through the city, destroying every heartless that tried to attack them, but for each one killed, two more were there to take the place of the fallen creature. Finally, Ren looked and saw a familiar figure standing in a sea of darkness.

"Yumi!"

Tenmei reacted to the name immediately, and felt a surge of light burst through him. He immediately rushed over to Yumi's side, grabbing her and jumping back towards Ren. He could see she was staring numbly at the sea before her, silent tears dripping down. "Yumi! Yumi, answer me!"

"Mom... Dad..." she sobbed out, staring only at the sea. "I... I'm sorry... I'm s-s-so sorry..."

"Are Shun and Hikari nearby?" Ren asked, though he suddenly remembered two others. "Or my parents!?"

"There's only two other hearts", Tenmei responded, trying to steel his voice so it wouldn't shake and betray his emotions yet again. "I don't know who they are... but I think I have met your father before, Ren... he is not one of them. I'm sorry."

New tears formed in Ren's eyes, but before they could even fall, another sea of darkness formed before them. Before Tenmei could react, however, Ren had lashed out in rage, the creatures disappearing before their eyes. "Let's go... we need to find Hikari... she is one of them, she has to be..."

Tenmei nodded, picking up Yumi and carrying her like a princess. "I don't know what she saw, but she won't be able to fight. I'll lead the way, you fight for me." He looked toward's the streets, and Ren recognized that he was staring in the direction Hikari and Shun were before he separated from them. "The hearts are over there... the darkness has lulled, but I doubt it'll stay away for too long."

Ren only nodded, and took off in a run towards the direction Tenmei had gestured to. HIs blade danced through the air, keeping the three safe from the dark grip that threatened to choke them, all while his thoughts were on Hikari and Shun, and how they could not be gone as well.

_We already lost too much today... don't take them away from me too..._

"Water!" a voice pierced the air, and relief surged through Ren's body like an electrical charge. Hikari's magic blasted away several heartless that were surrounding her and Shun, the boy lying on the ground out cold, his broadsword at his side uselessly.

"Hikari!" Ren shouted at her, slaying the heartless that stood between him and his friends.

Tenmei rushed over, looking at Shun with concern. "It looks like he took quite a beating from the Heartless... I can heal him, but it'll be pointless if we stay here. Are either of you strong enough to carry him?"

"I don't think that matters much if we don't get through this sea..." Ren muttered, as another wave of darkness erupted form nowhere. Ren, Hikari and Tenmei all looked around, seeing nothing but black with yellow spots for miles.

Tenmei let out a snarl, glaring at the Heartless, before looking back to Hikari. Her eyes looked oddly familiar, and he soon pieced it together. "You... you're Hiroto's granddaughter, aren't you?"

"I am," Hikari confirmed, looking at Tenmei with a puzzled expression on her face.

"Then you know magic... magic that can get us out of here without the use of a corridor", he responded. "For everyone here... I beg you, you must save us. This world is going to fall, and us with it if we don't get out of here."

Hikari looked at Tenmei for a moment, before stepping forward, and raising her blue staff into the air, before slamming the base of it to the ground, holding it firmly. "I know a spell... but I was told to never use it... it requires all my focus, and I'll need to be guarded.."

"Then hurry!" Ren shouted, swinging wildly. "We can't hold them for much longer!"

Tenmei shifted Yumi's weight, holding her closer as he huddled close to Hikari. "Grab him and get as close to her as you can, Ren! If this is a transport spell, we'll need to stick together as best as we can!"

Ren grabbed Shun's arm with one hand, while keeping his keyblade in the other. The four of them converged around Hikari, who was chanting in a language that none of them understood. Finally, she opened her eyes as a flash of light formed around them, engulfing them in it's radiant glow. Ren's vision filled with nothing but white before he was able to see again, and then he did he could hardly believe it. They were flying through a void of stars and images, each one playing out events that Ren had learned about before.

"Where... are we?" Ren asked, confused.

Hikari looked around as well, confusion filling her face as well. "I'm not sure... I was told only to focus on whatever light I could, and the only light I could sense was somewhere far away..."

"Perhaps that burst that Hiroto and I used to banish Xao", Tenmei muttered, growling. "So, I'll get a chance to finish him off as long as nothing happens..."

"Wait, we're going to Xao!?" Ren asked, shock and fear filling his voice.

It was at this moment that Hikari gasped, suddenly realizing something. "These events... they're from the past... I think I know what is going on..."

"And that would be?" Ren asked, looking at her with panic.

"It's not... where we're going... it's when", Tenmei finished, his eyes growing wide. "... we're not just going to another world, Ren... we're going to another time."

XxXxXxX

**Hey guys, got something to share from both BloodWingdAngel and myself.**

**We know that this is not how time travel is supposed to work in Kingdom Hearts. But, in all honesty, in order for this story to work, we needed to come up with a different way to do this. Honestly, the whole Time Travel thing introduced in Dream Drop Distance was kinda dumb in my opinion, but hey, it made Kingdom Hearts 3 amazing in the end.**

**With Xehanort's time travel, you are only able to travel through time if there is a version of yourself present at the time you want to travel to. Also, you cannot change what is destined to happen. Additionally, since this is the case, your time travel was already written to begin with, hence why it's not the most common form of time travel you see in modern media...**

**'Multiverse' Time Travel, which is what Hikari accidentally did here. Instead of traveling back in time, they are going to a point in time in another universe. So, essentially, what Future Trunks did in DragonBall Z; it was just called time travel for the sake of explanation.**

**Anyway, that's all I wanted to share with you guys. I hope you're enjoying the story as is!**


	4. New Warriors in Old Times

The images that flashed by the group seemed to move faster and faster, until suddenly they vanished altogether. Tenmei let out a grunt as he hit the ground faster than expected. His knees buckled as he shifted his weight, landing on his back to protect the still unmoving Yumi as he groaned a bit. After giving her a brief once over, ensuring she wasn't injured, he looked to the rest of the group. "Everyone okay? Ren? Hikari?"

"I think so..." Ren groaned, standing up, rubbing the back of his head. The green eyes of the boy traveled around, looking at their new surroundings. "Where are we?"

Tenmei took a glance around. Wherever they were, it was obvious there was no life here, nor had there been in quite some time. The room they had landed in only had a couple chairs, layered heavily with dust, and the table they were next to had been smashed ages ago. "Some abandoned building, if I had to guess", he said, grunting as he stood up, shifting the redhead in his arms. "I think I still have some energy... can one of you take Yumi from me? I'll heal your friend once I have free hands."

Hikari stepped forward and took Yumi, the girl still limp as she was transferred from one person to the next. "Yumi... what is wrong with her?"

"I heard... something about her parents", Tenmei said. "If I had to guess... she probably watched them fall to darkness. I... I'm sorry. There was nothing else I could do", he apologized, clenching his fists. He then brushed past Hikari, looking to tend to Shun.

"Mom... Dad..." Hikari muttered, fresh tears forming, but she shook her head to bring herself back to reality, setting Yumi in one of the chairs and holding her close, whispering to attempt to snap Yumi out of it as well. Ren, meanwhile, approached one of the windows in the room they were in, looking into the orange sky that was before them.

"The sky looks like Twilight Citadel... but that town in the distance is nothing like where we're from."

Tenmei gave a sigh, his hands glowing green as he began casting Cura on Shun. "Considering this is time travel we're dealing with... I'm going to assume, since this is one of very few worlds that has an eternal sunset, that we landed on our world before Light and Darkness started ravaging it. I believe it was called..." He closed his eyes, thinking back to his old history lessons. "...Twilight Town, back in the day."

Shun groaned a little as his wounds began to disappear, the boy stirring a little and finally opening his golden eyes, looking up at Tenmei with a look of confusion. "H-huh...? What's going on?"

"We managed to get away from the Heartless", Tenmei responded, the green glow fading from sight. "Now don't move unless told to. You took quite the beating before Ren and I found you."

"Already giving orders, huh, Prince?" Shun groaned, but did as he was told, knowing that even if he wanted to move, the heavy weight that seemed to flood his body would make it hard on him. "Keyblade, huh? Never thought you'd actually do it, Ren."

Ren blinked for a moment before holding his hand out, Twilight's Balance appearing in it once again. A sigh escaped him, before he turned back to Shun. "The blade seemed to appear when I needed it most, as if responding to my need for it... instead of my desire to summon a keyblade... still, why this blade of all keyblades?"

"I can answer that", Tenmei responded, getting up to face him. He gave a sigh, looking at Ren with a look of resignation, as if he didn't want to believe it. "The legend of the Princes of Twilight... and the keyblades of said legend... exist in perfect balance... much like I do... and like you do too, Ren." He raised his hand, summoning Twilight's Guardian as well. When the blade appeared, Ren could feel what seemed like a hum of recognition, of companionship, but couldn't place where it came from. "The only masters who could summon these keyblades before were the Princes of Twilight... the wielders whose hearts never waver, never shift, never change... who understand both Light and Darkness equally."

"You're saying that Ren... is a Prince?" Hikari asked, confusion written clearly on her face. "But... I don't recall him being royalty."

"Remember the legend", the prince stated, lowering his hand, keyblade still firmly in his grip. "The second King of Twilight stayed in the citadel, prioritizing the protection of his world and his people above all else... while his brother, the wielder of Twilight's Balance, began traveling, seeking to bring his teachings to all corners of the known worlds", Tenmei explained, pointing over to Ren. "I have to assume that Ren is descended from the missing Prince, which makes us... related, although very distantly."

Ren almost fell over as the weight of what was going on finally seemed to hit him. Suddenly, it all made sense, on why his father seemed to be adamant about Ren learning and believing the legendary tale, and why it seemed like so much importance was put on him becoming a keyblade wielder in the first place. If Ren's father knew, did Tenmei's father know as well? Did Hiroto? If only they could be asked, but the time for questions was no longer available to the five teens in the room. Ren turned back to look out the window towards the eternal setting sun, giving his brain more time to process everything before he finally asked the one question that has been on his mind since they escaped the time vortex. "Alright... so we might know where we are... but when are we?"

Tenmei looked over to Ren, his brow furrowing. "I'm... not sure. This world has been called Twilight Citadel for countless generations in our time... there aren't a lot of records of what it was like before. I'm as lost as anyone else is." He then shook his head. "But we can't focus on that right now. We need to recollect ourselves, and wait until Yumi recovers so that we can come up with a plan of what to do next. So, until further notice, this is our base of operations."

Shun groaned from the floor of the room at that, moving a bit to sit up. "Let me get this right... you're saying we somehow traveled back in time, into this dust heap of a mess, and just need to wait it out? I feel like dust is gonna make my hair as white as the old man's..."

The mention of Hiroto iced the room over, and Shun, sensing the change instantly, only gave a small 'oh' as he realized what had happened.

"Silence", Tenmei growled, his lips twisting into a snarl, but he said no more. He looked over to Hikari and Yumi, seeing they hadn't moved since they sat down, and gave a sigh. "Ren, stay with them. I have no idea if there are Heartless on this world, and I need you to stay here and protect them. I will scout the area out a bit, maybe find something to mark the date if I can."

Ren nodded, walking over to where Hikari and Yumi sat, dismissing his keyblade and placing a hand on each of their shoulders in comfort. Tenmei gave a gentle look to the redhead, before walking over to Shun. With a huff, he assisted the recovering teen and walked over to the other chair, leaving him in as comfortable a position as he could. He then started to head out of the room, closing the door behind them.

That was when Yumi shifted, blinking a bit. She gave a shaky breath, glancing around, before her eyes landed on her sister. "H-Hikari...?" she whispered.

"Hey, there you are..." HIkari sniffled, drying her eyes as best as she could.

"You alright?" Shun asked, all tones of his usual joking manner gone. "You gave us a scare for a bit there."

Yumi looked to them all, confusion etching her face. She glanced at the books and the dust, unsure of what to make of it, but soon her eyes began watering again. She looked to her sister, sniffling once more, before suddenly reaching for her, wrapping her arms around her waist as she began wailing, her face buried into Hikari's chest.

"I-I'm sorry!" she cried, her voice muffled. "I-I-I couldn't s-save them! I-I let them... I let them fall!" She couldn't stop the tears streaming down her face. "I-I couldn't save... a-any of them!"

"It's not your fault, Yumi," Hikari cried, holding her sister close and running her hand on her head. Despite her comforting tone, her face had twisted into one of mourning and agony. "You didn't know what would happen... none of us did... I don't blame you at all..."

If her words did reach Yumi, it was unnoticed. The poor girl could do nothing but cry, releasing her pent up sorrow as she clung to her sister, her only family left. An awkward silence, other than Yumi's sobs, filled the room, with Ren and Shun unsure on what to say, or if they should say anything at all. Shun finally shifted a bit, groaning a little as he sat more upright, looking around the room as well.

"Well..." Shun finally spoke, drawing the attention of Ren and Hikari (Yumi only continued to sob). "Maybe we should do some investigation of our own. If Tenmei is going to check the town out, then maybe we should look around here. There has to be SOMETHING here that can tell us where... or when, we are."

Ren only gave him a look of pity. "Are you sure you're fit to move around? You were banged up pretty badly, ya know?"

Shun laughed a bit, standing finally, though groaned a bit as he did. "Relax... gonna take more then a few ant things to finish off this guy, besides I think that Cure spell is taking full effect now, cause I'm feeling better by the second!"

Yumi slowly stopped her loud crying, though she still sniffled a bit. She looked out at Shun, her eyes red and puffy already. "B-be careful, okay?" she said, her voice threatening to crack. "I kn-know you're strong... but d-don't get h-hurt again."

Shun nodded, and together he and Ren turned to walk out of the room, leaving the sisters alone to comfort one another.

XxXxXxX

Tenmei sighed as he approached with what food he could find. Unfortunately, the currency he had was... a little ahead of their time. The shops around here took munny, something that wasn't used by his world, so he couldn't get much done in the investigating part. He did eventually determine that this world had no Heartless, but being unable to find the date, focused instead on making some munny so that they could eat. He entered the abandoned mansion, closing the door behind him and locking it, just in case.

"I'm back, everyone", he called out, looking around the mansion. "And I have food... better than nothing, I hope." Of course, when no one responded, he immediately went back to the room where he left his companions.

There, Hikari and Yumi were still in the chair he saw them in last, seeing that the younger sister had fallen asleep, exhausted from everything that happened. He glanced over to the strawberry blonde. "How is she?" he asked softly, walking over with the bag of food he had bought.

"Sound asleep now," Hikari stated, still stroking her sister's hair. "She calmed down after a bit of crying... though I don't know how this will affect her in the long run... and I still didn't mention grandpa..."

"I'll be the one to tell her", Tenmei decided, making Hikari quirk an eyebrow. "It's my fault your grandfather had to sacrifice himself... for me and Ren. If I hadn't been so hasty to fight Xao... maybe he would have been able to come with us." He placed the bag down, walking over to the other chair and taking a seat. His fists clenched, wanting to break something but not wanting to wake Yumi up. "If... if I had done something else, anything else... how many more people could I have saved...?"

Hikari was unsure on what to say, the logic of her mind trying to work out what could have happened had the events not played out how they did. On the one hand, anything could have happened, including more lives being saved... but on the other hand, had Hiroto not sacrificed himself to save the five teens, they all could have been wiped out by the heartless swarm that plagued the world. As soon as she was about to speak, however, the door to the room they were in opened, and Ren walked into the room followed closely by Shun, the two somewhat white in the face.

"Ren!" Hikari whispered, looking at him in relief. "Where did you two go for so long?"

"The library..." Shun muttered, looking down at Yumi. "How is she?"

"She'll be better than she was before... at least she can talk and respond now", Hikari admitted, sighing. "Anything from the library stand out? Do you know what year we're in?"

Shun looked over at Ren, his words lost in his throat. Ren, still somewhat white in the face, looked at each of them in turn and sighed before speaking up. "Most of the books we found are very old, and talk in detail about the typical stuff you'd find in ancient history... The Keyblade War, The Foundation of the Worlds, and other things... but there was nothing on The Princes of Twilight, which confirms that we're in a time before this world became Twilight Citadel."

"Details on The Keyblade War and the Foundation..." Tenmei mused, humming a bit. "I know of those subjects, but I don't recall all the details... but, that's odd... I thought there were more than just one...?" He shook his head. "Enough of that. My end was a bit of a bust, too. I have confirmed that there are no Heartless here... but I couldn't find a date, either. I spent my time earning some munny so we could eat."

"There's more..." Ren muttered, looking scared. He looked at Hikari and Tenmei for a moment, as if he had witnessed something terrible happen, before he finally sighed and spoke. "I saw a few stars go out on the way here..."

The words alone left Tenmei and Hikari frozen, their eyes wide in shock and horror. "Stars... going out? But that means..." Hikari said, piecing it together.

"Worlds are being destroyed", Tenmei uttered, the words disgusting on his tongue. "Then... even now, we've entered a time where the Darkness is surging... but, which era is this? I should have paid attention to my history tutors, I'd be able to tell if I did..."

"The Second Keyblade War", came the soft voice, and everyone turned to Yumi, who's eyes were open. She gave everyone a somber look. "Those books only mentioned one Keyblade War, right? And where we are... is way before Twilight Citadel, if you had to earn Munny to buy food..."

"How long have you been awake, Yumi?" Tenmei asked, looking at her with concern.

"I heard a good chunk of what Ren said... and I heard you talking about Munny... which is an economic system that hasn't been in place in a really long time", Yumi stated, pushing herself off of her sister so she could sit straight. "I know a bit about history... and what you're both describing sounds like the events that led up to the Second Keyblade War and the reforging of the x-blade."

Ren gave pause before speaking again, thinking about what Yumi just said. "So, if I remember correctly, then the stars going out means that we've landed either just before everything starts going down, or somewhere right after it... either way, this isn't good..."

"No, no it is not", Tenmei muttered, bringing a hand to his chin. "Darkness is surging out in the worlds... it's faint, but I can feel those worlds slowly fading away if I focus enough... it's not as intense as our world, but it is there." He gave a sigh, standing up and beginning to pace. "Then... we've arrived at beginning of the next summoning of Kingdom Hearts. The question is... what do we do now? Do we attempt to survive through this and wait for the Kingdom Key to save everything? Or do we leave this world and fight the darkness ourselves?"

No one said anything for a good minute or so, before Shun finally seemed to realize something. "Xao... if we are here, then he must be somewhere as well... I don't think he's gonna just sit around and let events play out. If he is here, then we should at least attempt to keep him from screwing up the timeline, right?"

Tenmei held an angry expression, looking to Shun. "Believe me, I want nothing more than to hunt that bastard down and take him out, but we aren't one-hundred percent sure he is here or not." He looked out the window, towards the sunset sky. "But... we can't stay here, either. We have two keyblade warriors on this world right now... and if the Heartless are forming again, then they'll be drawn to us like moths to a flame. Eventually... we could be putting this world in danger of falling."

"Then we should go to other worlds," Ren suggested, looking around at his friends. "We can be on the lookout for Xao, making sure he doesn't mess with anything that is destined to happen, while keeping the worlds from falling because we stay in one place too long. Plus, it'll be good for us training wise, right?"

"That's all well and good, Ren," Hikari muttered, looking worried. "But how are we supposed to travel the worlds? The spell I cast probably will only mess more things up than it already has, and even if I could cast it again, I don't want to think about where it will take us next..."

"Then we do this the old fashioned way", Tenmei said, getting their attention. He stood, up once more, taking charge again. "Before traveling using corridors and hearts became commonplace, Keybladers could use their weapons to travel around. I'm certain Ren and I could do that, but that would mean exposing you three to the darkness again, and I don't want to risk that. So, instead, we could start searching for Gummi blocks, or best case scenario, a working Gummi Ship." He then looked to Hikari and Yumi. "That way, we can all travel together without risking attacks from Heartless, and with enough upgrades, we'll be able to train on our travels. This way, I can share what knowledge I have with Ren and Shun, and I can try to supplement what you both were taught by Master Hiroto."

"A working ship?" Shun asked, laughing a bit and waving his hand. "I doubt this world would just have one..."

"Maybe it does," Ren suggested, looking back towards the door of the room. "In this time, the knowledge of there being multiple worlds is very uncommon, so the fact that this place has books and stories about the worlds tells me that someone that lived here has to know something... there might be a chance they have spare blocks from their research, or better yet, a ship they used to use..."

"Then it's settled", Tenmei concluded. "Best bet is searching around to see if we can find supplies to help get us out of here. Ren, I'll leave the searching to you and Shun, once he's back to full power. I'll keep going into town to earn munny so we can keep living here for the time being, and as for Hikari and Yumi... I hate to ask, but I need you both to start practicing your techniques as soon as possible. You're both impressive, but we need you to master what you know now so we can rely on you in case something goes wrong."

The girls nodded, though Hikari seemed to take a bit of offense towards Tenmei suggesting she wasn't that strong. Ren and Shun both nodded as well, understanding the seriousness of the situation they were stuck in now. "Then, let's hurry," Ren stated, looking a bit worried as he stared out the window. "I get a feeling time is not on our side right now."

XxXxXxX

Two days had passed since the quintet found their way back in the past. Tenmei, true to his word, worked hard to earn munny for them all, bringing back at least enough food for all of them every day. The stress of working indeed did seem apparent, but he still did so without complaint, despite the bags forming under his eyes. Every evening at dinner, he asked for status reports from all of them, and their results seemed to give him hope, but they were slow going on finding a way off world. He didn't want to admit it, but he was scared that there wasn't any way off without risking a path through the darkness, but if they didn't find something soon, he was going to have to take a chance.

He met up with Yumi, who was perusing through the old books of the library, and coughed to gain her attention. "How's it going?"

"Slow", she said, sighing. "There's no training dummies here, so I don't have anything to practice offense with, and Hikari doesn't want to go all out on me, so that makes fine-tuning my defensive skills almost impossible." She gave him a humorous smile. "I may be the youngest one here, but I'm still strong... and I just got her to stop ratting me out to our parents before... everything happened."

Tenmei gave a soft sigh, looking back to the corridor to make sure no one was listening in, before he closed the door behind him. "And... how are you feeling? Hikari told me... about what happened to your parents..."

"I'm... not okay, to be honest", Yumi admitted. "I still see them falling whenever I sleep... it's getting to the point that I'm getting used to it, which is... horrifying. But... I'm pushing through. I've always been the stubborn one... I can protect myself."

"I'll have to ask you to let that burden fall on me, Yumi", Tenmei responded, getting a surprised gaze at those words. "I'm going to protect you... and Hikari, and Shun. Ren and I both will."

Yumi's eyes watered a bit, and she looked away, letting out a sheepish giggle. "Your Highness, you don't have to-"

"Call me Tenmei, and yes, I do", the former prince replied. "It bugs me that you three still call me that... I have no kingdom to rule anymore. But... I made a promise... that I would protect you."

"I think you have our roles reversed here", Yumi said shakily, still not looking at Tenmei. "I'm the bodyguard, remember? I'm supposed to protect you."

"Not anymore", Tenmei said. "I have to keep you safe... it's what..." He swallowed nervously, dreading the bombshell he had to drop. "It's what... Master Hiroto asked of me... before he fought Xao."

The silence was deafening. Yumi slowly turned, her eyes wide as she stared at him. "Grandpa...?"

Tenmei felt his own tears threaten to fall, but stood his ground. "I... I'm sorry, Y-Yumi..." He lowered his head, his body shaking as he held back his sobs. "Master Hiroto... sacrificed himself... to save me and Ren... I'm... I'm sorry I couldn't save him."

Again, there were no more words to say. Yumi stood from her chair, leaving the book abandoned, as she approached the Prince of Twilight. He was expecting her to slap him, curse him out, anything that would let him know she would never forgive him.

Instead, he felt her arms wrap around his waist, and her face bury into his shoulder. He didn't know how else to react, so he merely hugged her back, and the two stood there like that for quite a while. Neither of them wailed like she had before, but they found comfort in the sorrow they shared.

After what felt like an eternity, the two split up. Yumi looked up into his eyes, and let a soft smile stretch her lips. She reached up, brushing a stray tear away from Tenmei's cheek. "Careful, Tenmei... we don't need your eyes getting any redder than that."

Tenmei let out a hoarse chuckle, doing the same for her. "Speak for yourself", he said, smiling. "So... will you let me protect you?"

Yumi nodded slowly, giving a sad smile. "Only... if you let me protect you. Deal?"

"Deal", he said, wiping the rest of his tears away. After Yumi finished doing the same, he motioned her to follow. "Come on... I have some carry out from a small-time restaurant... I heard the burgers were pretty good. Then we can hear if Ren and Shun found something else."

Yumi nodded, following silently behind him. They both arrived in the designated room first, starting to pass out the paper plates and styrofoam boxes. Hikari was the next to arrive, and noticed immediately how Tenmei and Yumi seemed to be working in tandem. She said nothing about it, but stared curiously at Tenmei through the rest of the prepwork, while they waited for the other boys to return from their search.

Thumping was echoing through the mansion, getting louder and louder. The two girls looked a bit worried at that door, and Tenmei reached forward as if to summon his Keyblade, before suddenly the door slammed open, Ren and Shun dashing into the room. The girls sighed in relief, and Tenmei frowned a bit at the boys for worrying them all. "This better be important and worth the heart attack you just gave us all!"

"We found a ship!" Ren blurted out, grinning widely at him. "A really big ship! Dunno if it can fly, but it's something right!"

"R-Ren found it through a secret passage way," Shun panted, catching his breath from having to keep up with the silver haired teen. "It lead from here into the sewers, and in there was a secret room with a ship..."

"And you said there might not be one," Ren teased, nudging Shun in the ribs, which only earned himself a glare from the older boy.

Tenmei's eyes were wide, and he quickly picked up his plate and box. "Right then. Let's head over there right now. Even if it can't fly quite yet, it'll be better shelter than this mansion. Was it big enough to support five people?"

"That's the best part!" Ren said cheerfully. "There's like ten seats in it! Dunno what it was used for, but yeah there's definitely enough room for us all in it."

Tenmei let out a sigh, and a surprisingly wistful look on his face showed up. "Maybe I can finally take a shower..." he muttered. "Have a decent bed... I can clean up again..." He shook a bit with excitement. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's get over there!"

Ren nodded, and began to lead the way, down the stairs of the mansion and into a corridor that lead them into a dark and narrow passage way. Questions about how Ren managed to find this place filled the minds of Tenmei, Hikari and Yumi; however they did not ask as the boys lead them onwards. Eventually, they reached a large room that seemed to be just before the sewers, and sure enough, sitting there was a very large ship, completely black in color, with various stripes of white on the sides on the metallic frame. Despite never having seen a Gummi Ship before, everyone could immediately tell that this ship was way larger then any other, and possibly had more then just the standard seats that a normal ship would have inside.

"There's no way that this thing wasn't designed to last days out in the space between worlds", Tenmei noted. "Let's go inside and take a look around... if anyone finds a bathroom with a shower in it, please let me know asap", he requested, though the tone made it sound like he wasn't asking. He jumped in first, looking around in awe as he began exploring the inside.

"I swear, if he takes longer then Hikari and Yumi when showering, I will demand we go to a world where we can get a different ship for us," Shun muttered, following after him into the haul of the transport. Hikari and Yumi followed after him, muttering something about beating him up on the next world, and finally Ren brought up the rear.

The inside of the ship was even more impressive then the outside. Unlike traditional Gummi Ships, which only had a large room with seats for transport, only the front of the ship had this feature. A hallway head to multiple bedrooms, a kitchen area, a large room that looked like it once held furniture but had been emptied out, and finally, three bathrooms that Tenmei noticed immediately.

"MINE!" he uncharacteristically shouted, surprising the other four. Abandoning his food on a nearby chair, the Prince darted into the bathroom closest to him. Mere seconds later, they could hear the sound of a shower starting, and steam poured from under the door. Yumi could've sworn she heard Tenmei sing some sort of song, noting victory, but it was short-lived, and soon he was silent as the water ran.

"Did... did he just sing a victory jingle?" Shun asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ignoring that..." Hikari muttered, looking away from the bathroom. "Do we even know if this thing can fly? Doesn't seem like it's been used in years."

Ren thought about it for a moment, looking around the ship for a moment before sitting on the captain's chair. Just for grins, he hit a single button, which caused the lights on the ship's front to flash for a moment. "Well, it's got power, that's for sure. I'm guessing we'll find out once Tenmei is done showering and we can decide where we are going to go."

"A better question," Hikari asked, suddenly looking worried. "Are we sure we can just TAKE this ship? What if the owner comes looking for it!?"

"Then we say we are important people and needed to take it," Shun muttered, sitting down and kicking his chair back, relaxing. "Besides, I'm sure whoever owns this ship also lived in the mansion, and it seems like both were abandoned some time ago. I'm sure we're fine."

It indeed took a while for Tenmei to finish his shower, but once he did, he looked almost as impressive as he did when the coronation began. He opted for some more casual clothes, similar to what Yumi saw when she met him the first time. Over the tanktop, though, he wore a white hooded jacket with short sleeves, black decals along the back and traveling up the hood. He was fnishing drying his hair, letting out a sigh of relief. "That hit the spot..." he said, sounding refreshed for the first time since they got here. "So... I felt the power surge. I'm assuming our new ship can at the very least start, right?"

"Yeah, I managed to flash the lights," Ren stated, nodding at the prince. "So, where are we going?"

Tenmei stepped to the console, starting the ship's computer. He saw a map that lead to a few sectors, but looking at some of the later worlds, decided something easy to start with was the best choice. "We'll head for the coliseum first", he said, pointing toward the greek-themed world. "We all need to get back into practice... I feel like I've probably been left behind a bit by Yumi and Hikari, since I had to focus on finding odd jobs so we could eat. Plus, any prize munny we could get from there will go to getting supplies, rations and upgrades for our ship and weapons."

"Alright, then let's see if this baby can actually fly!" Shun grinned, looking excited. "And who knows, maybe I can kick some butt at this colosseum and get some of my honor back!"

"What honor?" Hikari asked, causing everyone to laugh as Shun looked at Hikari with a grumble.

Tenmei took the seat in the captain's chair, looking at all the controls. After a few presses of buttons, he heard the engines start and the entire ship rumbled with power. He grinned, feeling slight lift, before looking at the other controls. Soon, the doors in front of the ship opened, leading to a way to the stars. "Attention all passengers, this is Tenmei, your captain speaking. I recommend fastening your seatbelts... this is the first time I've piloted a ship this size and I want to reduce as much damage as possible, but I can't make any promises, so for your safety, please just do it and don't fight with me."

"Wait, what?" Ren suddenly realized what Tenmei had said, but it was too late as their new vessel began to take off, roaring to life as the ceiling opened up for them, and the ship rocketed into the sky and disappeared from the eyes of any that were looking up at that moment.

XxXxXxX

**Hey, guys, TimtheVocalist here.**

**Just a little update; Bloodwingd and I are... well, probably WAY ahead in the story. The reason for stuttering the chapters when we've already done so many chapters... is mainly because I do some editing for every chapter. This way, it'll flow a bit better.**

**If there's ever a delay, feel free to yell at me, since it's my job to edit everything. I'll be making sure everything looks good, and any serious edits that I think need to be done, I'll be in touch with BloodWingdAngel. Hopefully, that won't be necessary.**

**Anyway, the next chapter should be ready in a couple days. Hope you enjoy it then!**


	5. Coliseum Training

It didn't take long for the group to be on their way to the next world. Once the ship was cruising at a comfortable speed, everyone was able to reorient themselves again, with Ren, Hikari, and Shun recovering from the sudden take off. Only Yumi had been able to get her seatbelt on, so she wasn't in the same position as they were, but she definitely was caught off guard, her eyes spinning dizzily as she tried to recover.

"Hey, what's the big idea?!" Ren shouted, standing up to face Tenmei, who set the ship into autopilot.

"I gave you a warning", the prince replied, shrugging. "It's not my fault that you didn't get to your seats fast enough."

"Couldn't you have given us a little more warning?" Hikari groused, shakily standing up next.

"I did say we needed to get off world asap, didn't I?" Tenmei countered.

That's when Shun stood as well, glaring at the prince. "And who said you got to be captain, anyway? I sure as hell didn't vote for you."

That made Tenmei frown, not appreciating his authority being challenged. He turned his chair, giving them all a pointed, dry glare. "Alright, then let's handle this simply." He raised his own hand, challenging Shun to follow suit. "Raise your hand if you have experience commandeering a vessel that can carry more than three people and fly between worlds."

Shun flinched a bit, and reluctantly sat down, with none of the others even attempting to argue with the prince.

"That's what I thought", Tenmei replied, standing up from the captain's chair. "Tell you what; I'll teach each of you how to fly this thing so we can keep moving if I'm otherwise indisposed, but for now, I'll be in charge of flying duties. Deal?"

Murmurs of 'deal' followed this, the three that complained defeated at the argument that Tenmei had brought forward. Hikari crossed her arms and sat down in a seat, looking as if she was not going to uncross them anytime soon. Shun simply walked over to the window, staring out at it and not even looking back at where the prince sat. Ren, on the other hand, was the quickest of the three to forgive Tenmei, turning to him instantly after the others had begun their pity parties. "Hey, what kind of training are we doing there anyway?"

Tenmei let out a soft "hmmm", thinking about what they could do. He glanced back at Yumi. "Well, for Yumi... I'm thinking we should find a style to compliment her shield. I understand Master Hiroto was teaching her a sword-shield combo style... but I think she'll take to 'shield only' a bit better. Maybe, if we can find a complimenting gauntlet or something of the like?" He then looked over at Hikari. "I'm assuming you're more of a magic user, so we'll be going over your magic skills, and some staff combat techniques for whenever you run out of magic. Knowing you and your sister, though, you're both leagues ahead of us right now." He then looked over to Shun. "As for you... personally, you're the one I know the least of. This'll give us a chance to spar so I know what to help you out with, and I can help both you and Ren with sword-fighting. I need to work on my swordplay, as well as the keyblade techniques I know so far."

Shun merely huffed at that, but Ren's attention was caught by Tenmei. "Hiroto didn't have time to train me in the keyblade, only the swordplay I'd need to easily adapt to wielding one once I summoned mine for the first time... to be honest, I'm not even sure what the heck this keyblade can do." Ren called Twilight's Balance forward, the blade appearing in the signature sea of light and dark swirls. "I feel like for a legendary blade, it might have a few secrets that I don't know about yet."

Tenmei gave his own huff, understanding the situation. "You first summoned that during Xao's attack... then that means you're a novice in the most literal term." He gave a tired sigh. "Fine... I'll teach you what I know about keyblades, and on our journey, we'll figure out what other secrets your weapon has. I can't say that I'm a master, but I'll do everything in my power to help you while we travel together." He started walking out of the room, yawning. "I'm gonna crash for a bit... let me know if we get there faster than I expected."

However, soon everyone had crashed as well, and by the time they had all awoken (and forgiveness had been given by Hikari and Shun, at least for the most part), the ship was descending just outside of Olympus Coliseum, parking at a giant spot in town right before the gates. Tenmei gestured the group forward, and they followed him through the gates into the golden stadium that awaited them. There, they found themselves staring at one of the weirdest creatures Ren had ever seen; a short squat man with the features of a goat hanging posters, his big horns almost tearing one in half as he bent over to grab the bundle before moving over to the next spot.

"The heck?" Ren asked, pointing at the creature.

Unfortunately for him, the satyr heard that, and seemed to know immediately that Ren was referring to him. "What? You've never seen an honest man doing his job before, kid?"

"'Man' is not the word I would use..." Shun muttered.

"Quiet, both of you", Tenmei said, sighing. "My apologies, sir. This is our first time here, and my friends are... not used to the area", he said, looking back at Ren and Shun with a "bow your heads down, you idiots" look, which was reluctantly obeyed. "My name is Tenmei. The two boys behind me are Ren and Shun, and the sisters are Hikari and Yumi. I was wondering if we could borrow some space so we could do some training?"

The satyr gave them all a raised brow, seemingly judging them. He then shrugged. "Eh, what the heck? No fur off my tail." He motioned them towards the coliseum. "Come on. Since you're not participating in the games, I don't mind lending you rookies some space to practice."

"'Rookies?'" Hikari muttered, crossing her arms again. "Who does this jerk think he is?"

"Careful, sis", Yumi pointed out, trying to calm her down. "That's Philoctetes - or Phil - the trainer of heroes. He's got an impressive record of raising a bunch of nobodies to the legendary Hero status, like Hercules."

"Glad _someone_ gives respect where it's due", Phil said, smirking as he heard the whole thing.

"Apologies, sir," Ren said, bowing instantly, before raising up and summoning his keyblade. "Alright, let's do this!"

Phil eyed the weapon curiously for a moment before continuing to lead them to the area where they could practice, and while it wasn't as big as the main arena, it would do for the time being. "Alright then, here ya are... but you might wanna make whatever you are doing quick. The main games are scheduled in about 5 hours, and you might wanna come watch! Be careful with the training now, especially with those keyblades." He laughed at the look on their faces when he said the weapon name, before walking out of the arena, muttering something about not seeing _those three_ in a long time.

"H-how does he know about the keyblade?" Shun asked.

"He's a trainer of heroes", Tenmei stated, trying to shake off the nervous feeling he got from that statement. "No one ever said all of his trainees are from this world, specifically. Now, who should we start with? I can't help you guys if I don't know your baselines for combat."

"Start with Yumi and Hikari," Shun instantly said, drawing his sword and looking at Ren. "I think we still have something we need to settle?"

"Bring it on, Shun!" Ren challenged him, and soon the two boys had raced off, clashing keyblade to sword and causing sparks to fly.

"And there they go," Hikari sighed, shaking her head in frustration.

"I assume this happens a lot...?" Tenmei questioned, quirking an eyebrow.

"All the time", Yumi said, giving a nervous smile. "Even without weapons, those boys only care about who's the better fighter."

"I swear, they're so immature..." Hikari muttered, shaking her head in frustration. "This is why I don't like younger men..."

Tenmei blinked a couple times, before glancing over at her. "How old are you, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I'm 16," Hikari muttered, looking a bit frustrated. "Aka, the oldest here... Shun is three months younger then me, Ren is your age... exactly your age, might I add... and Yumi is 14."

Tenmei looked at her for a moment, processing all of that. He then shrugged. "Okay. Then that means I don't have to worry."

"Hey, what does that-?"

"Now, show me what you can do, Hikari. I understand Yumi's style very well, but I need to see what else you're capable of."

Hikari blinked, before smirking. "You sure about that? I'm pretty damn powerful if I do say so myself." But before she got a response, she had already readied her spell. "Fire!"

Tenmei allowed the fireball to get close, before casting his own spell. "Reflecta!" Instantly, a barrier surrounded him, and the fireball exploded harmlessly against the plane of light, leaving him unharmed. "'Pretty powerful', huh? With that time-travel spell, I'd expect at least level two magic, you know."

"Uhhh..." the blonde had nothing to say about that, her cocky smrik fading into a dumbstruck look. Firstly, she had NO idea how she even sent the five of them through time. Secondly, she had NO idea how to use level 2 magic. She was going to learn, of course, but the timing was not ideal before they were thrust into the situation they were in. "G-Give me a bit, ok!?" She began to mutter in frustration, walking away and trying to remember what Hiroto had said about casting more powerful spells.

"I think you hurt her a bit there, your highness", Yumi stated, giggling a bit.

"Only her pride... which I'm perfectly fine with", Tenmei responded, smirking a tiny bit. "If she's going to get a big head from mastering level one magic, it's best if we nip that problem in the bud. We'll need her to remain confident, but not cocky, if we're going to be fighting together from now on." He then looked at Yumi. "And for the last time, it's just 'Tenmei'." He then gave a sigh, shaking his head. "How about you? Feel comfortable punching me again?"

At the mention of the spar, Yumi turned almost as red as her hair. She began fidgeting a bit, looking down at her shield. "I-I'm sorry for... y'know... punching you in the face."

"Water under the bridge", he said almost immediately, smiling at her. "If I was pissed about that, I wouldn't have asked you to be my bodyguard, y'know. Have you been worried about that this whole time?"

"W-well, I kinda forgot with everything that happened, but... yeah", she muttered, feeling a bit silly for not letting that go earlier.

Before Tenmei could say anything else, Shun landed next to him with a thud. The dark haired teen stood up, just as Ren walked forward with his keyblade raised. "Ha! I gotcha!"

"Not this time, you little brat!" Shun yelled, charging again. The two clashed again, and this time their strikes were so fierce that Tenmei could've sworn that they were actually trying to murder one another. One glance at Yumi, however, seemed to tell him that this, too, was common, which only served to confuse him more.

Finally, after glancing at them for a bit, Tenmei decided enough was enough and charged forward. This was when he revealed one of the secrets of his own keyblade; instantly, both weapons met a metallic clang, and Ren and Shun both got a shock. Tenmei had physically split his keyblade down the middle, using both halves to easily block their attacks. What's more, the grip on the individual blades had shifted, and now the prince was wielding them in a reverse grip.

"If this is how you two spar, I'd hate to see you both actually fighting", he stated dryly. "I think I've seen enough, so can you both back up a bit so I can give you some pointers?"

Ren and Shun were both staring in shock at what the prince had done, and the silence was only broken when Ren stated in a pitch higher than his normal tone, "I wanna do that!"

Tenmei's eyes widened quite a bit, and a breathe broke past his lips, the corners turning upward in a small smile, before he caught himself, stifling the laugh right away. He then dismissed his keyblade, relaxing in stature as he looked at them both. "Well... I have to say, when it comes to raw technique with a sword... Shun has you beat, Ren. He simply has more comfort using his blade as an extension of himself." Ren frowned at that, while Shun beamed with pride. "On the other hand... when it comes to power, Ren is at the upper hand. He did knock you pretty hard onto your butt, Shun, and it may have something to do with his ability to call upon his keyblade now." At that, Ren let out a victorious "HA!" while Shun scowled, crossing his arms. "Honestly, with proper training for both of you, I have a hard time seeing who would win in a true battle."

Ren and Shun looked at one another, and Tenmei could only just imagine that the two of them were eagerly awaiting the day they could test that for real. However, the feeling was quickly dashed aside, as Ren looked at Twilight's Balance in wonder and confusion. "Okay, but how did you do that?"

Tenmei gave out a chuckle. "That's simply one of the techniques I learned my keyblade gave me. See, keyblades not only increase the power of your known abilities, but also give you access to more. As a wielder, you now can also learn magic easier than most other people, and in time, more techniques will be bestowed upon you, including mastery over specific Dark and Light skills that will benefit you the most." He summoned Twilight's Guardian once more, this time as the whole weapon. "Similar to what you saw me do when Hiroto... gave us our last orders. Understand?"

Ren nodded, turning to Tenmei. "Yeah, I got it... so, let's get on with our real training then."

The prince nodded, but it was obvious he wasn't completely confident in his abilities. While a faithful and wonderful student, he had never taught anyone how to fight before. This was going to be new for him. "Alright... I'll teach you what I can." He then looked over at Shun. "You learned from Master Hiroto as well, correct? How about the three of us spar together? I recognized some of the techniques he taught me in your style."

Shun confirmed Tenmei's question with a nod. "Though I'm not a keyblade wielder like you two, I was taught swordplay through Hiroto's schooling... that's how i met Ren and Hikari, after all."

"Very well then. I'll get to training you both first, since... to be quite honest, I may have a bit of an easier time helping you two out than I would Hikari..." He then glanced over at the blonde, who was still off doing her own thing. "Plus... I think she'll get mad at me if I try to talk to her right now." He then looked over to Yumi. "As for you... we just need a good weapon to work with you." He handed her a sack of cash. "This should be enough for a starter weapon for you. And perhaps a new outfit, so you're not parading in that color-guard outfit we gave you. I recommend some sort of gauntlet, if you wish. You throw a mean right hook."

Yumi couldn't help the slight blush at the complement, but she nodded and took the munny. "R-right. Then... I guess I'll be back soon. Ren, Shun... please don't try to kill each other, okay?"

"No promises!" Shun yelled after her, smirking in a joking fashion, before turning to Tenmei, more serious than the boy EVER remembered seeing him before in the short time he's known Shun. "Alright then, let's get on with it!"

Tenmei nodded, slipping into a battle stance with his Keyblade. "Alright... I'll do my best to teach you both. Just let me know if you need some pointers, alright?" He looked over at Shun. "Show me your overhead strike. I'll block it, and show a potential counter. Then I'll do the same to you."

Shun nodded, swinging his sword instantly, probably harder than he needed to. But he was surprised to see the prince had been ready, easily using the flat of his blade to stop his weapon. "Now... from this point, I have two options. I can either slide your weapon down to the hilt of my blade, easily throwing you off balance..." And at that, he did just that, moving a bit faster than Shun was used to and making him stumble a bit, before he felt the cold metal of Twilight's Guardian at the base of his neck. "... which means victory for me as of now... or, if you have quick instincts, you can swing your own weapon up to block an overhead strike with a lot more force, making their blade repel completely and leaving them even more open to attack."

Shun huffed, backing away so that the blade was no longer at his neck. "Yeah, if you say so." Meanwhile, Ren only nodded, having watched the whole affair. It was obvious to Tenmei at that point which of the two was more attentive in lessons, though if they were on equal skill as of right now, Shun was the better natural fighter.

At least was, with the keyblade now in Ren's hand.

"Now, Shun, try to either repel or cast off my weapon", Tenmei commanded, and brought his blade up before swinging it down. Shun attempted to swing his own blade up, intending to make Twilight's Guardian bounce back, but he found a much stronger resistance than he expected, and after some struggling, managed to slide Tenmei's keyblade off with a huff. The prince stared down at Shun, frowning.

"Not quite right... but doing something you're not used to takes time. I'm sure you'll pick it up quickly", Tenmei said. "You'll just need a bit more practice, and you should be able to counter that in no time." All Shun did at that was mutter something, and Tenmei instead turned his attention towards his second new student. "Ren, are you ready?"

"Yeah", Ren nodded, stepping forward and holding Twilight's Balance in a ready stance. "Whenever you're ready!"

Tenmei nodded, and struck the exact same way, making a big, powerful overhead swing. This time, however, Tenmei was caught off guard, as Ren instantly parried, throwing the prince off balance as his keyblade slid harmlessly past Ren's hilt. Though he did spare himself embarrassment, by quickly holding his blade up and blocking Ren's weapon from tapping his neck. "Impressive", he said, smirking at the wielder of Twilight's Balance.

Ren blinked in shock, attempting to process what he had just done, before grinning back at Tenmei. Shun sighed at that, turning and only muttering a simple message over his shoulder. "Hey, I'm going to take a walk real quick... be back."

"Is he ok?" Hikari asked, finally rejoining after cooling down herself.

"I-I dunno..." Ren admitted, tilting his head after him. He looked down at his Keyblade, before turning to Tenmei. "Hey, how come I adapted to your lesson so quickly?"

Tenmei gave a sigh, no longer smiling. "Twilight's Balance", he said simply, tapping Ren's keyblade with his own. "Keyblade Warriors are naturals at traveling to different worlds. Thus, they learn to adapt much faster because the Keyblade allows them to. I did tell you that you'd gain skills and now had access to magic, did I not?"

"Yeah, that's true," Ren stated, looking down at the weapon before looking after Shun, who had become nothing more then a speck as he walked past the coliseum gates. "I wonder if that is why he got upset... hope he'll be ok..."

"Who knows", Tenmei said with a shrug, trying to play it off as normal. "I'll admit... with his mastery over Hiroto's techniques, I expected you both to be a bit more equal in learning, but... obviously I was wrong. I may have put too much pressure on him..." He gave a soft sigh. "We'll let him cool down, and then I'll offer some more practical lessons for him to take with me. Perhaps a full out spar will help him figure out what he needs to do."

Shun, meanwhile, was yelling his head off, breaking pots and anything else within reach of his blade. He was shattering pillars, walls, you name it. Finally, he calmed down a bit, panting as he looked down, gritting his teeth in frustration. "How... how the hell did he do that? Why did he pick it up so easily, and I didn't?!"

"I'll tell you why..." Shun gasped, recognizing the voice. Before him, a dark portal had appeared, and through it stepped Xao, who was smirking at the young teen as he readied his weapon. Xao raised a hand, "Settle down, boy. I didn't come to fight... No, I merely came to teach."

"Teach?" Shun huffed in laugher, glaring at Xao. "As if I have anything to learn from a monster like you!"

Xao frowned for a moment, before smirking again. "That's really not a nice way to talk to me... son."

The silence that followed could have lasted an eternity, as Shun only stared at Xao for what seemed like ages before finally giving the man that claimed to be his father a hateful look. "Yeah, sure. And I am a heartless! There is no way you can be my father! I already have a family, thank you very much!"

"Do you?" Xao asked, walking forward. Shun braced himself to strike, but the curiosity he has of what Xao was saying prevented him from actually attacking. "Has your adoptive family even actually told you anything about your birth? Anything about your early childhood? How much do you actually remember about before you were ten years old?"

Shun paused at that. It was true that he didn't remember anything past six years ago, and it was true that his family never really mentioned anything about him being anything under ten. "H-how do you know about all that?"

Xao only smiled as he walked up to Shun and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We have much to catch up on... my long lost son..."

XxXxXxX

Tenmei sighed, his leg bouncing a little bit. He had taken a seat on the steps of the coliseum, waiting for Shun to come back so they could talk. His fingers had interlocked, his chin resting gently upon his hands as he stared at the gate, waiting as patiently as he could, but it was obvious he was becoming anxious. Before, his leg merely bounced once every little while... now it seemed to bounce every other second.

The door began to creak, and Tenmei sat up a bit more, ready to say something, but his face fell a bit when Yumi was the one walking in. Not only was she now sporting an iron gauntlet on her right hand, forged to effectively cover her hand and still allow her use of her fingers, but she had also bought a new outfit. The elegant bodyguard outfit had been useful for the time, but there was no denying that she needed something that fit her style better. Gone was the stifling overcoat and elegant decals. Now, she wore a green tank top, a black sleeveless hoodie, and a pair of purple shorts that hugged her hips nicely. She even bought a pair of sneakers, which were purple as well, with simple black decals on the sides.

Tenmei let out a sigh, sitting down again and resuming his waiting... only now his leg began bouncing even faster, his worry growing. Yumi quirked an eyebrow, before walking over to Ren and Hikari. "Is... everything okay?" she asked, glancing over at the former prince.

"Well, Shun hasn't come back from his 'walk' yet..." Hikari muttered, also looking just as worried as Tenmei was. "I mean, I know the dude gets upset when things don't do his way... but he's never gone this long..."

"He'll be fine," Ren said, but even then his face did not say the same. He was also looking at the door to the coliseum with worry, wondering how their friend was doing.

At that, Tenmei let out a frustrated groan, the first they had ever heard from him, and he stood up. "Alright, waiting's obviously gotten us squat. I'm gonna go find him and talk to him, like I probably should've from the start."

"It's a little too late for that," a voice suddenly said. The four teenagers flinched, as Xao suddenly appeared as if from nowhere, a dark portal surrounding him before it vanished, the man looking over all of them with a victorious stare on his face. "He is mine, now."

Tenmei growled, standing between Xao and the others. "The hell does that mean? What did you do to Shun?" He wanted nothing more than to charge him, but he learned his lesson; fighting Xao right now was a really bad idea.

"Nothing more than the obvious," Xao explained, looking over all of them. "But you of course do not know... about my son."

"Son?" Ren asked, confused. "Wait, someone actually had a relationship with a monster like you?"

Xao brushed that off, "Shun is my son, in a manner of speaking... and I only told him the truth about that before I decided that we should spend a little father son bonding time. That is all."

Tenmei snarled, refusing to believe that. "Alright, so... say that I believe you are his father. Why the hell would he go with the bastard that destroyed his home?"

"Because it is not often that you find the truth about your childhood, prince," Xao stated, adding a bit of bite to the last word. "Shun merely found out the truth, and after a little _convincing_, he decided that he wanted to know more about daddy dearest."

"You mean you kidnapped him?" Ren growled, summoning his keyblade in frustration.

"Well, it's not everyday you find out the truth about your father," Xao commented, smirking. "Believe me if you want, but the truth is written in stone, so honestly I don't care what you believe... all you need to know is Shun is mine now."

Tenmei growled, summoning his keyblade as well. It was then he noticed something, and slowly grinned. "Hey, Xao... is it just me, or did that little Light bath I gave you earlier leave you not so tall dark and dangerous as you were at the Citadel?"

Despite Tenmei's taunt, Xao only continued to smirk. "Even if it did, this time is perfect... darkness is plentiful here... and I will not only regain my strength soon enough, but surpass what I once was! I'm sure you figured it out my now, Tenmei, but have the others... Where are we in time right now?"

Silence filled the gap for a moment before finally, Yumi gave a gasp. The fact that Phil knew the keyblade, the fact that worlds were vanishing, and the fact that Xao seemed happy about where they were at only cemented the truth that she knew all along. "The Legend of Kingdom Hearts."

Xao nodded, smirking. "Darkness... is plentiful now." His grin only widened, as he raised his arms, as if already celebrating his victory. "Before the Door to Darkness is sealed, I can gain all the darkness I want! I will be more powerful than I ever could be in that damned future! ...and it is all thanks to you, Tenmei."

At first, Tenmei wanted to curse. The scowl on his face was quite evident, as he realized how bad of a blunder he had made. Xao was right, of course... the Door to Darkness was thrust wide open, and Heartless were beginning to swarm on all of the worlds.

Another thought hit him, though, and he grinned again. He even let out a slow laugh, shaking with mirth where he stood. "Well... even if you can access Darkness... it looks like your heart is all but swallowed by it. I have no doubt that you're a master of it... but... you forget, Xao..." He pointed his keyblade at the Dark Master. "... we came from the _future_. And in the end... Darkness_ lost_. So what if you can gain the power from the Darkness that's present now? Ren and I can do the same. And when that door is sealed shut... your power source is gone. But us Princes?" He gave a laugh as he shook his head. "We can just start taking power from the Light, too. This is what happens when you betray the Way to the Dawn, the Path of Twilight... you cut off your own power." With the laugh finished, he slipped into a more serious tone, glaring at their enemy. "Fine. Do whatever with the Darkness. But I will come for you, Xao... we will take Shun back... and you _will_ answer for your crimes."

Xao only continued to smirk as he glared at Tenmei, though the group spotted the tiny glimmer of worry, the corner of his lip twitching a small bit. "We will see, prince... who says that the future cannot be changed? Either way, I have what I want, and we will see what the future for us from the future has in store." He summoned his sword, which the four future warriors couldn't help but notice looked a bit different from the last time they saw it. "Either way, we will fight soon. The clash of Twilight and Darkness is coming... we will settle this soon, Tenmei and Ren, and on that day we will see what is stronger... your faith, or my will..." With that, he vanished, only leaving a wisp of dark energy in his wake.

As soon as he was gone, Tenmei's smirk faded. Sure that bravado kept him confident in the face of that monster... but he knew that his own bluff would soon bite him in the ass. "Back to the ship. We have to get moving."

Ren nodded, looking worried. "If Xao does have Shun, we have to get him back! Let's go!"


	6. Timeout in Traverse Town

It did not take long for the gummi ship to take to the skies yet again, but this time with less yelling and a much more sombre tone. The quintet had been reduced to a quartet, and while sometimes a pain with his jokes and arrogance, Shun was still a beloved friend... at least, to Ren, Hikari and Yumi. Tenmei didn't know the boy very well, but still felt responsible for him.

Even now, he felt his worry not only for the teen... but for his own subjects. He looked hastily at the map as they took off, plotting a course for the next world that he was willing to travel to, and refused to leave his seat this time. He didn't even say anything to the others, causing Yumi to frown.

"I think Tenmei's worried about something", she whispered to Hikari.

"Aren't we all?" Hikari asked, looking out the window of the Gummi Ship. "I hope wherever Xao took Shun, he'll be ok..."

Ren frowned a bit at that, looking down and curling his fingers into his fists. "Why didn't I follow after him to make sure he was ok? I mean, I get that he can be a bit salty when we train, but... I still should've been there for him..."

Tenmei gave a sigh. "It's not your fault, Ren... it's mine. I should have been the one to follow him... offer him a way for him to learn at his own pace. It may have only been one move, but... I should have followed him the moment he left."

Silence filled the Gummi Ship for awhile, before Hikari finally let out a gasp and stood up. Everyone turned to her, the blonde's face radiating excitement and victory. "Xao won't succeed! I mean, think about it, guys! If we truly are back in time, then the future is already set in stone! Xao cannot succeed since we literally cannot alter events that are supposed to happen!"

"That's true, but..." Ren muttered.

Tenmei, on the other hand, sighed whilst activating the auto-pilot. He then swiveled his chair around, facing the other three in his group. "That would be true... if we had traveled in time the way we are supposed to."

Yumi's eyebrow quirked at that. "What do you mean?"

"There are actual documented incidents of this before", Tenmei pointed out, "most infamously being that of..._ him_." No one needed to hear any more to know who he was talking about. "Time travel has rules. First, you can only travel to times where you existed before, and I know for a fact we've never existed in the era of Twilight Town. Another is that in order to travel through time, your heart goes, untethered by a body. And anyone who is tethered needs someone who is already traveling through time to aid them in that endeavor if they're going to do so. Since I'm 99.9% sure none of us have turned into a heartless during Xao's attack..." He let his words trail a bit, waiting for someone to answer the question he had posed.

"We didn't time travel the same way others have time traveled before us," Ren finished, looking wide-eyed.

"But... if we didn't time travel like that, then why should we worry about the timeline? Everything should still be the same, right?" Yumi asked, looking over at Hikari.

Hikari finally seemed to realize what Tenmei was getting at, and shook her head. "No... we should be even more worried. If we didn't time travel the same way that _he_ did... then we didn't travel through time... we technically entered another universe."

"I always did hear one of my teachers say 'multiverse theory is a bitch'... and now I understand why", Tenmei said with a snarl. "With_ his_ time travel, he technically never messed fully with the timeline. Once those traveling were defeated, they were sent back where they belonged, to enact the rest of their timeline as if it had never been interrupted. If we die or fall to darkness... that's it for us. There is no 'returning to our time'. Not that there's much we'd return to in the first place..."

"Which means that if Xao plays his cards right, he can alter any event he wants," Ren finished, gripping his chair with rage. "He could prevent Sora from defeating Ansem, make Xemnas succeed with his plans, or worse..."

"He could allow the x-blade to unlock Kingdom Hearts and reset the worlds", Yumi said, her eyes wide and her face very pale. She stood up. "We have to do something! We need to find Sora!"

"And what good would that do us?" Tenmei asked, frustrated. "Sora's a novice as well! I can teach Ren efficiently because he's gotten some training from Hiroto before, but Sora is completely self taught throughout his whole adventure! He learns by figuring things out for himself! Even if we traveled alongside him, we can't help him and he can't help us!"

"But if Xao can help Ansem succeed, doesn't that mean we can help Sora? If he can meddle with the time for his gain, why can't we do the same for ours?" Yumi posed, and Tenmei was surprised by her determination. He couldn't even pose a proper argument. "Normally, I'd agree and say we should stay out of it... but if Xao defeats Sora... then we'd pretty much be giving him the win without even trying. If we help him out... won't that close the Door to Darkness that much quicker?"

"Because altering the timeline in that way could be disastrous in the end," Ren suddenly said, shocking everyone. He looked up at them, his eyes more focused then anyone recalled ever seeing from him before. "We have to keep the timeline as on point as possible as to what actually happened, cause if we don't... who knows what could happen? Sora could be that much weaker due to not fulfilling his journey, and die to Xemnas. He could not even become a heartless, thus preventing his Nobody from existing, which is important... all we can do is try our best to make sure the timeline goes as smoothly and accurately as possible... and prevent Xao from damaging it anymore then he may have already done..."

Tenmei crossed his arms. Both of them had a very good point about what was going on. Ren was right on his points. Sora learned best from figuring things out on his own. That much was clear, and the reason he became so strong was not only the strength of his heart, but the sheer will to push through, even making friends with literally anyone that he wanted. On the other hand... now there was a threat to him and the rest of the worlds that was much more powerful already. If they only stood to the side and fought only when the timeline was being threatened, that could lead to adverse effects as well. If Xao didn't buy his bluff and already moved to make Sora's enemies stronger, then that could also be a fatal error on their part.

"... I need time to think over this", Tenmei said. "We'll vote on a decision later. For now... we're going to Traverse Town. We'll need supplies for our journey, wherever it takes us, and while Olympus is good for weapons, I doubt we'll get enough potions from anywhere else at this time."

Everyone nodded in agreement at that, and eventually they all settled in for the night as the ship sailed to the destination they were all headed towards. Eventually, the ship docked outside of the refuge town, and the four disembarked to gather what they needed for the long journey that was ahead of them.

"Ren, come with me", Tenmei said. "If we're going to train you on the keyblade, we'll need to see how powerful our enemy is... so we're going to the second district to fight some Heartless."

"We can come too!" Yumi stated, moving to follow them.

"Keybladers only", Tenmei shot down, holding his hand up to stop the redhead. "Unfortunately, I need you and Hikari to stay here for a bit and get the supplies. Once we're stocked up, feel free to run over and catch up. For now, though, I think Ren and I will have the easiest time if we fight the Heartless alone."

Reluctantly, Yumi nodded, and turned to follow Hikari as she headed towards the shopping district. Meanwhile, Ren and Tenmei ran off towards the second district, where heartless were swarming the area. The two Twilight Warriors summoned their keyblades, slaughtering every heartless in their way, none of them standing a chance against the keyblades of legend. Eventually, after what seemed like countless creatures under their belt, they saw a boy with brown spikey hair, wearing red clothes, running directly at them, followed by a dog and duck looking creature.

"Riku?" the boy asked, looking at Ren curiously, confused. "Didn't we just see you back there?"

"Huh?" Ren asked, confused. "Uh... I'm not Riku... my name is Ren."

Tenmei stepped over, getting between the boy and Ren. "Can we... help you?" he said, pausing in his sentence. His eyes looked the boy up and down, a look of realization. "You... you have a Keyblade, don't you?" he blurted, not even thinking.

At that, the boy jumped back, summoning Kingdom Key to his side. "How did you know that? If you aren't Riku, then who are you guys?"

"And how do you know about the keyblade?" the duck asked, readying his staff and charging some magic.

Tenmei winced, realizing his blunder, and raised his hands up in a "settle down" manner. "Whoa, hey, easy. We're not enemies here. We lost our world to Darkness, too." He motioned towards Ren. "This is my friend, Ren, and my name is Tenmei. As for how we know about keyblades..." He sighed, raising up his hand and summoning his Twilight's Guardian. "You can say that I've gotten used to telling who can and can't use one."

Ren already had his out, causing the brunette boy to look between the two in shock. He finally seemed to recover and held out his hand, as if offering a handshake in apology. "Sorry... my name is Sora!"

"Hey, don't trust them!" the duck yelled angrily, jumping in rage. "They could be tricking us!"

"Aw, come on, Donald!" the dog muttered, stepping forward as well. "They don't seem so bad... besides, even though the King told us to find the 'key', he really only meant one 'key', right? There are others, after all."

The duck, now called Donald, grumbled a bit, though glared at Tenmei and Ren as if looking at a zit. "I guess so..."

Tenmei let out a sigh, desummoning his keyblade. "Thanks for understanding, Mister...?"

"Aw, shucks, just call me Goofy", the dog said, letting out a chuckle as he offered a warm smile. "So, you fellas traveling around the worlds, too?"

"A bit... Ren here is new at the keyblade, so we came here to test his mettle against some Heartless", Tenmei offered. "We really should get going to do so..."

"Hang on, why don't we go with you?" Sora offered. "Maybe I can give some pointers? I'm self taught, but anything's better than nothing, right?"

"No, we won't", Donald argued.

"Why not? First Riku, now them... Donald, what is your deal?" Sora argued, glaring down at the mallard.

"Aw, he's just worried about you, Sora", Goofy said with a chuckle. "You are kinda easy to let your guard down..."

"Oh, thanks", Sora grumbled, though he couldn't argue that fact. "But... still, three keyblades are better than one, right?"

Tenmei wasn't sure what to do. He glanced over at Ren, quirking an eyebrow. "I'll let you call the shot here. You want to fight alongside them?"

"I... I'm not sure," Ren muttered, before suddenly he felt a surge of darkness. The five of them turned, seeing the fountain in the town teeming with darkness. An armored creature appeared from nowhere, darkness surging off his body, and instantly Ren and Tenmei knew that something was wrong. The armor before them was stronger then anything they had faced in the past before, and could easily kill any one of them in an instant if given the chance to. Ren gulped, raising Twilight's Balance up a bit. "Well, at the very least we could take this thing on with them."

Tenmei, on the other hand, grit his teeth, holding back a groan. "This must be _his_ work... Sora, I hope you're ready! If we don't destroy this thing... you can kiss Traverse Town goodbye!"

"Hey, with three keyblades, how can we lose?" Sora asked, preparing to fight, though he quickly got his answer. The armored heartless was so strong, that any attack launched at him almost seemed to bounce off him as if nothing happened. Donald and Goofy tried to offer what support they could, but seemed to be knocked back and out of the fight so quickly that Ren swore he blinked and suddenly they were gone. It almost seemed hopeless, before Yumi appeared out of nowhere and punched the heartless so hard that the head of the beast spun in the armor uncontrollably, landing nearby her two friends, while Hikari sent out a thunder spell, shocking the hands and feet away from Sora and Ren.

"Looks like you could use some help!" Yumi suggested, grinning.

Tenmei stared at the shield-warrior, looking starstruck for a moment, before shaking his head, giving a smile. "Glad to be wrong about that", he said with a smile. He glanced over at Sora. "Guard your friends from the smallfry! We'll handle the big one!"

Sora nodded, running over and guarding over Donald and Goofy. The fight that followed was drawn out, but eventually the four future warriors, plus with Sora's assistance, defeated Opposite Armor, sending it into the sea of darkness that followed it's death. Sora managed to seal the keyhole of Traverse Town, and even Donald had to admit that Ren and Tenmei were alright when he finally awoke from being left hooked into dream land.

"So... what about traveling together?" Sora suggested, looking at the four with a hopeful grin.

Ren paused for a moment, before sighing and stepping forward, shaking his head. "Thanks... but we have our own enemies to chase."

Tenmei stepped up, handing Sora a scrap of paper. "This is how you can reach our ship. If you ever need us, just call. We'll be there to help whenever we can." He placed his hand on the budding Keyblade Warrior, and offered a supportive smile. "You're strong, Sora... I have no doubt you'll do great."

Sora smiled, nodding with encouragement. "I hope whatever you are searching for goes well... and may we both find what we are looking for."

Even though Ren knew the answer, he thought the best thing to do was to ask anyway. "What is it that you are looking for, Sora?"

Sora frowned a bit at that, looking discouraged. "My friends... we got separated when my world got swallowed by the darkness, and I am hoping that I can find them soon."

Hikari stepped forward at this, offering a supportive smile. "You'll find them... I am sure of it."

At that, Sora smiled, giving them all a wave. "Thanks! Anyway, be seeing you!"

As Sora, Donald and Goofy turned to leave, Tenmei whispered something under his breath, softly, so no one else would hear. He then turned to his friends. "Well... I'm assuming we're all in agreement that we need to focus on squashing out any more Dark surges like that?"

Ren nodded. "And finding Xao and Shun... we need to make sure that the timeline stays as accurate as possible, and find our friend as well!" Hikari and Yumi nodded in agreement.

"Then let's get back to the ship", Tenmei said. "Our work here is done... Xao can't ever reach this world's heart, so I doubt he'll attack here again." He then crossed his arms, looking concerned. "I know he's collecting hearts... but the question is why. He's not discriminating, either; Light and Dark hearts are prime for the picking."

"When he confronted us on Twilight Citadel, he wanted our hearts more then anything," Ren stated, remembering what had happened the day they were transported back in time. "So it is really anyone's guess as to what he is really after... though I get the feeling that if he gets one of us, then his goal will be achieved much faster then it will be without us... so, I say we train as much as we can."

Tenmei nodded. "Then I have an idea of how we can do that between worlds... We still have a large, empty room on the ship, right?" When Yumi nodded, Tenmei smirked. "Alright, guys... then back to the ship. Our next world is waiting for us."

With that, the team left Traverse Town behind, looking to their future with a new determination.

XxXxXxX

**BloodWingdAngel here... Alright, so before everyone gets all "REN IS A RIKU CLONE UNORIGINAL OC" on me, I am going to say the differences between Ren and RIku's looks real quick so confusion can be eliminated.**

**First, Ren has what is known as "baby face". He looks pretty young for his age, and actually has a higher pitched voice then most men. Second, Riku and Ren both have green eyes, but while Riku's are a blue-green design (funny enough, they look ice blue until KH3 where they're actually green), Ren's are like an jade green. Finally, both have silver hair, but at different lengths and styles. You all know Riku's, but imagine Ren's hair style as pretty much Xehanort's when he's playing chess with Eraqus as a child. I imagine it as almost the exact same in terms of shape, texture and length, just silver in color. Only thing different between Ren and Kid Xehanort would be the back would be spiked down instead of back like his.**

**This is just in terms of looks. In terms of personality, well, you guys can start seeing that for yourselves in the story... Anyway, just thought I would clear this up now. Until next time guys, see ya!**


	7. A Dark Omen

While the group had settled onto the ship, traveling through the stars towards their next destination, Tenmei had vanished into that empty room. No one was quite sure what he had planned, but he told them he was certain that this would help them keep growing in strength while they hunted Xao and Shun down. In the meantime, though, no one else was allowed in yet.

In the meanwhile, Ren was staring at his Keyblade, muttering to himself about how cool dual wielding was and how he wished his keyblade did the same as Tenmei's. HIkari and Yumi stared at him for a moment before finally Hikari smirked, wrapping her arm around Yumi's shoulder and giving her a sly look. "So, noticed that you and Tenmei are getting a bit close."

That made the young, red-haired girl start blushing, brushing her sister's hand off of her a bit. "I-I don't know w-what you mean", she said, pouting a bit and closing her eyes in a 'Hmph' manner.

"Oh, come off it," Hikari stated, crossing her arms. "You're falling for the guy, I can tell. You can't hide anything from me, little sister."

Yumi shook her head, though her blush was still very obvious. "W-well... s-so what if I am?" she said, looking back at Hikari. "I'm just thankful to him. H-he saved us... he got us all here safely. I-if it wasn't for him, I'd be..." The words hung in the air a bit, and Yumi, unwilling to finish that sentence, shook her head. "Besides that, he's helping us all get stronger. I can't help but admire him for that. We're his first students _ever,_ and he's doing whatever he can to help us."

Hikari shrugged at that, "You got a point... and even though some of us need his help more than others," she especially looked at Ren at that, who was literally trying to pull Twilight's Balance apart as she said that, "he's willing to be patient with us. Still," she smirked, looking back at her sister. "It'll be interesting to see what happens next, huh?"

Yumi blushed more, flustered again. "Y-you have it all wrong! E-even if I-I h-h-had f-feelings for him..." She gave a sigh, lowering her hands. "H-he's a prince... even without a world, he'll always be our prince... why would he be interested in someone like me, Hikari?" She looked over towards Ren as well, though mostly just to avoid eye contact with her sister. "I'm just a girl with a shield. I've got nothing on a noble or a princess..."

Hikari blinked, before sighing and realizing that she had to engage 'protective elder sister' mode. "Look, we five are all that we have left, Shun included. And once we find him we have to rely on one another. Tenmei might be a prince, but we're all he's got, so don't get so hung up on it. Just be there for him and he'll be grateful to you, ok?"

Yumi remained silent, but the soft smile told Hikari that she appreciated her words. Without another word, Yumi got up, walking over to the console to check on the voyage to the next world. As she did, though, the door suddenly slid open, and the subject of conversation walked in, wiping his brow. "Hey... training room's done."

"Good, I need a distraction," Hikari instantly said, walking past Tenmei and into the room without a second glance at Yumi, who looked flustered at Tenmei's sudden appearance, or Ren, who was red in the face trying to do whatever he was trying to do.

"... Did I miss...? Ren, what the heck are you trying to do?" Tenmei asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Keyblade... wield two... must do..." the boy answered, before gasping for air and falling backwards, his keyblade disappearing after he dropped it from the strain. Hikari sighed, shaking her head and muttering something about his immaturity before fully walking into the room.

"Right..." Tenmei said, looking at Ren warily. "Yumi, you wanna head in so we can get started on training?"

"U-uh, y-yeah!" she said, still recovering from both Hikari's teasing and Tenmei's sudden appearance. She walked past Tenmei, her cheeks still flushed while the prince stared at her, then back at Ren.

"... the hell did I miss?" Tenmei wondered softly to himself, before shaking his head and walking back into the room, leaving Ren to do... whatever he planned next.

"H-hey, wait for me!" Ren shouted after them, running into the room after them and resummoning his keyblade as he entered. The room was vastly improved since Ren entered it last, now completely tiled in white, and with a few training dummies that looked very resistant to anything they could have thrown at them. Additionally, there was a sitting area for resting or watching someone else train, though Ren guessed it was mostly for resting.

"Whoa... we can get a work out in here," Hikari muttered, looking around impressed.

"This looks like fun", Yumi said, her embarrassment gone as she looked excitedly around.

"Alright, everyone, here's the main rules of this room", Tenmei said. "The training dummies furthest away from the resting area are for melee combat, while the ones closest to it are for magic. Hikari, I'd recommend going for those with your magic. They're designed to not only tell you how much damage they're doing, but they also have a mode where they'll fight back a bit, sending back some of your own magic at you so you can practice defensive spells. They'll never do enough damage to seriously hurt you, but it'll definitely sting and tell you when you did something wrong."

"Sounds good," Hikari said, pulling out her staff and focusing on the dummies. "Let's see if I can get some good magic practice in, then."

"You have fun with that," Ren muttered, turning and grinning at the farther dummies. "Let's see if I can finally get a hang of what my keyblade can really do!" He charged forward, swinging his keyblade hard and landing a hit so hard on the dummy that Yumi was surprised that it didn't split in half.

"Well, it looks like Ren is having fun already." Tenmei then turned back to Yumi, and gave her a smirk. "So... you up for a rematch? Still need to figure out who actually won last time."

Yumi glanced over at him, surprised. "Really? You do realize if I punch you this time, it's gonna hurt a lot more, right?"

"I can take it", Tenmei said. "I may have been a prince, but keyblade training is grueling, lemme tell you." He summoned Twilight's Guardian. "Wanna wager something else?" he asked, smirking.

"And let you have dirt on me? I don't think so", Yumi countered. "Let's just spar for once."

The prince only laughed a bit, his feet slipping into a balanced stance as he held his keyblade with both hands, ready for her. At that, Yumi charged forward, trying to hit the prince in the gut with her armored hand, but the boy blocked with his keyblade. He forced her to the side with a swipe and attempted to swing back, but her shield, once again, got in the way. "Huh... kind of expected you to fall on your butt again."

"You caught me off guard during our first fight", Yumi told the prince, smiling as she tightened her armored fist. "You're not gonna do it again."

"I wouldn't expect anything less", Tenmei shot back, before breaking the lock they had, the two fighters circling each other carefully, assessing what they could do next.

Meanwhile, Hikari had turned to them, frowning as she watched the two interacting. Earlier, she had just been teasing Yumi in a sisterly fashion before, but now that she was watching them and really thinking about it, the two of them had insane chemistry and almost seemed to be natural in their interactions. Was it just her, or was there really something more to their friendship? Or was she just jealous, her own desires for what she wanted overriding what was the truth and causing her to see things that weren't there? Either way, she just sighed and turned back to the dummy, thinking to herself that if she saw more signs, she would determine what to do from there.

The training continued for a long while, about fifteen minutes, with Tenmei and Yumi's fight ending in a draw, and Tenmei letting out a frustrated groan. "Gaah, you're _too good_ of a sparring partner!" the prince joked, laughing a bit. "I can't tell if I'd be more upset if I lost or won!"

Yumi let out a playful giggle. "Well, we'll just have to figure that out later. I think the ship's almost at our next stop, so we better get cleaned up so we can explore the world without stinking to high noon." She removed her gauntlet and shield, stepping out first. "And since we know that Tenmei usually takes the longest... I'm calling first dibs this time."

"Hey!" Tenmei shouted indignantly, before sighing and desummoning his keyblade, a relaxed smile on his face. "Yeah... she is right. Either of you two want one of the other two showers first?"

"MINE!" Hikari shouted, rushing out of the room immediately, causing both of the boys to sweat drop. After the two girls were done, and the two boys taking their showers (with of course Tenmei taking almost forever to finish his), they stepped out of the Gummi Ship to a sandy world filled with almost nothing but emptiness and stone buildings.

"This world seems fun," Ren muttered, looking around disappointed.

"This is Agrabah," Yumi stated, looking a bit annoyed at the silver haired teen. "And it's supposed to be a desert... at least, the part we landed in is a desert."

"Anyone feel darkness here? If Xao's here, there's no doubt more powerful Heartless here, too", Tenmei stated. "I don't remember where the keyhole is located, but we should start heading for that, right?"

"Yeah, Sora might need our help," Ren agreed, nodding his head. "Especially if Xao is trying to manipulate the timeline."

"I don't feel anything yet, but I'll let you know if it feels different", Yumi said, prepping her shield and gauntlet combo. "And keep your eyes peeled for Shun, too... we need to know if he's okay."

With the plan in motion, the four of them headed off towards the desert before them. For awhile, there was nothing but sand, and the occasional heartless swarm, which was easily dispatched by them, until they eventually arrived at a giant head looking creature, which confused them at first.

"What... is this?" Hikari asked, confused.

"This is the Cave of Wonders", Yumi said, sighing a bit. "Seriously, am I the only one that ever paid attention in History?"

"Yes," Ren and Hikari both said at the same time.

"Why?! I should not be the only one that knows these worlds!" Yumi yelled, waving her arms in the air as she forced Ren and Hikari to both shrink back.

"You have a serious passion for History", Tenmei noted. "You'll have to tell me more about that later on."

"Oh, r-really?" Yumi said, realizing she let her history-nerd out and began giggling nervously. She quickly shrunk in demeanor, finding her feet very interesting all of a sudden.

"I feel like a third wheel..." Hikari muttered so only Yumi heard her.

"So, the Cave of Wonders?" Ren asked, ignoring Yumi glaring daggers at Hikari. "Sora comes here, right? Wonder if he isn't here yet since it doesn't seem to be open."

At that, Yumi stopped acting meek and looked up at it. "Oh... right... that's not good."

"Why's that?" Tenmei asked.

"Because... that head gets controlled by Darkness. We might be dragged into a fight with it if we're here when Sora shows up", Yumi pointed out. "At least, that's what the story written by Jimminy says."

"...so Sora coming up to us right now is a bad thing?" Hikari asked, pointing to a speck flying towards them on a magical carpet.

"... ah, crapbaskets", Yumi uttered, tightening her grip on her shield. "Get ready, guys... this isn't going to be fun."

"Oh, hey guys!" Sora shouted at them, waving as he got off the magical floor decoration and approached them. "We're looking for a girl named Jasmine and a magic lamp, you guys know where we might find them?"

Ren looked over, suddenly realizing the cave entrance was moving around, "Well, that might be a good place to start..."

Tenmei let out a sigh, summoning his keyblade. "Show us what you got, Sora. We'll cover you."

"Of course!" Sora declared, summoning his keyblade to his side and charging into battle. Despite the worries that the quartet had, Sora did not seem to need that much assistance, as he was able to handle the 'boss' very quickly and easily. After giving an overconfident grin at the four, Sora ran inside, followed by Donald, Goofy and Aladdin.

"That... was not bad," Hikari muttered, looking after Sora. "Xao must've not done anything here, I guess."

"Well, you can see why I was worried, right?" Yumi said, sighing a bit in relief. "If he tampered with Jafar's spell, that could've been a really dangerous fight."

"Should we follow after him to make sure nothing else goes wrong?" Ren asked, looking into the Cave of Wonders' mouth after Sora.

"I don't think so", Tenmei commented, shaking his head. "Xao doesn't seem to be going after the keyholes that Sora's enemies are chasing after... and even if he was, messing with it while Sora is already in there might be counterproductive. Either that... or he's messing with us again."

"We still should check the town out, just in case," Hikari suggested, looking back into the desert. "Xao might try something there, or be there to gather heartless for his own gain."

"Good point", Tenmei said, nodding. "Alright, we'll take a look around the city, and if we don't find anything, we move on to the next world."

With another trek out into the desert, the group found their way back to the city at a surprisingly fast pace, but Tenmei couldn't help but look back in the sky. "... wasn't it, like, almost midnight out by the cave? How the hell did it go to noon in just fifteen minutes?"

"Maybe the cave is just that surrounded by darkness?" Hikari suggested, shrugging.

"I don't think it matters much," Ren stated, looking back for only a moment before turning towards the city. "Let's scout the area."

"Alright then. Let's all fan out and look around", Tenmei suggested. "When we're all done, we meet in front of the Sultan's Palace. Sound good?"

Everyone nodded, and headed off into the city. For about an hour, everyone searched the city, battling the number of heartless that attacked them in the meantime, but otherwise found nothing more then the standard heartless that Sora would have encountered before going to the Cave that they had met him at just an hour before. Eventually, the four of them gathered where they were to meet, each one only reporting the usual heartless encounters and nothing else.

"Well, that was a bust", Tenmei said, growling a bit. "I bet he's doing this on purpose... just to mess with us. Next world we go to will be infested with Heartless, I guarantee it."

"You really need to stop over guessing me, Tenmei," a familiar voice suddenly said. Xao suddenly appeared through a dark portal, staring at the warriors. "You're gonna give yourself a headache doing that."

"Xao!" Ren shouted, summoning his keyblade once again.

"Careful, Ren", Yumi said, standing beside him and Tenmei, who had summoned his keyblade instantly. "He might try his stupid mind games again."

"What do you want, monster?" Hikari asked, glaring at him.

"Again with the monster comment," Xao said, shaking his head. "Shun called me the same thing, you know."

"Can't say they're exactly wrong", Tenmei shouted at him. "Only a monster would destroy the world he was born on without any regret or remorse."

"Power comes with a steep price, Tenmei," Xao noted, looking at the former prince with a odd look. "Such as a heart or two... or a world's worth. Still, you must make sacrifices to get what you want. It's only the natural way of life, after all."

"Natural?" Ren asked, laughing a little. "I don't think it's natural to devour worlds to get what you want!"

"Maybe not for you," Xao noted, grinning. "But hey, we all have our own ways of doing things... sometimes, you have to learn the hard way."

"Alright, enough of this stepping around the question", Tenmei said, pointing his keyblade at Xao. "What kind of power could you desire so badly you'd destroy your home? Rip apart thousands of hearts from their bodies? Murder your own KING?!" At the mention of his father, Tenmei's voice got louder, and Ren could feel his rage rolling. More than that, though... he felt something else rising inside of Tenmei. Something sinister, unlike anything he felt from the former prince before.

Xao only looked at Tenmei with a curious expression, as if he was shocked that Tenmei had not figured out his desires yet. "If you haven't figured it out yet, then why bother telling you outright? You already know that either one of your hearts would cause me to accomplish my desires instantly, so if you're too _dumb_ to piece it together, then what's the fun in my telling you?"

There was a loud growl, and suddenly, everyone felt it. A surge of dark powers flared up from Tenmei, and he rushed forward, faster than even Xao could react. He let out an inhuman roar as he slashed sideways, hitting Xao hard enough to elicit a loud grunt of pain, and the Dark Master had to back away to avoid getting hit again, jumping so he was standing atop the gate to the palace. Tenmei glared up at his enemy, his yellow eyes slowly reverting back to their red color as the dark surge ebbed away, burrowing back into his heart.

Xao stared down at the prince, clutching his injured side as all traces of that smug grin vanished. He glared down in pure anger, gritting his teeth. "Try that again", he said, his voice filled with malice. "I dare you."

Tenmei, however, gave his own smug grin. "What's the matter, Xao? I thought you _loved_ darkness. Is it only okay if you use it? That doesn't seem very fair rules, now does it?" Tenmei knew that fighting Darkness with Darkness was not a good idea.

But for now, he managed to get a solid hit on the madman. He was going to milk this for what it was worth.

Xao continued to glare for a moment, before standing up, removing his hand from his wound, which was instantly healed, causing Ren, Hikari and Yumi to gasp at how quickly Xao recovered from what seemed like a powerful attack to them. "Consider this your only warning. If you attack me again like that, I _will_ destroy you... which will only make my goals be accomplished much faster. You've been warned now, so be careful about your next step, or either you'll lose your life... or you'll lose one of_ them_." Xao looked directly at Ren, Hikari and Yumi when saying that, before disappearing into a dark portal instantly. "Next time, I won't be so merciful."

After he vanished, Tenmei dismissed his keyblade, standing up straight as he stared up where he was. He stood with a new confidence, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. His fist clenched tightly, as he turned to the others.

"... I... hit him... I actually _hit him_", he said, and Ren could feel the excitement on his voice. "I have _absolutely_ no idea how I did that... but I think, with enough training, I can do it again..."

"Then, shall we go to the next world and get on with our training?" Ren asked, looking at Tenmei. "Hopefully, next time, I can back you up as well."

Tenmei let out a laugh, nodding. "You got it." He turned to Yumi and Hikari. "I know I said I'd give you both a chance to train with me... but... mind if I work with Ren to figure out how I did... whatever the hell that was?"

Hikari looked concerned at them, unsure at what was going on. "A-are you two sure? From the sounds of it, you two are going to be training with pure darkness... are you sure that's wise?"

Tenmei nodded, standing confident. "I'm sure. Ren and I are the Princes of Twilight. Sure, we can be influenced by it... but we'll still be us. And we can't fall to it... at least, not in the normal sense, anyway. We'd have to have our hearts actually stolen in order to do that." He looked over at Ren. "If training with that Dark Surge will give us an edge on Xao, I'll gladly take it. And if it doesn't work next time... I'll try to see if we can do the same thing with Light." He brought his hands together. "Promise."

Yumi gave a sigh. "I... I don't like this", she said. "... but if it'll help you both... I won't ask you to stop. Not yet, anyway."

Ren shrugged, "Well, since we are Twilight beings we do need to use darkness anyway at some point. Better I learn now, right?"

Tenmei nodded. "Yeah. I know some Dark spells that I can teach you, too... but we'll both be figuring out how this surge works." He began walking to the ship, Ren in tow. "I have no idea how it happened, but I remember getting sick of Xao treating me like an insignificant bug..."

As Tenmei began explaining what he felt, Yumi looked over to Hikari. "W-we'll be there... to help them if something goes wrong... r-right?" she asked. "W-we'll help them..." Flashes of her last moments on Twilight Citadel came to mind, and Yumi had to do everything in her power not to break down right then and there.

Hikari could see her sister's pain, and despite wanting to say what was really on her mind at that point, she only smiled and nodded at Yumi in that moment. "Of course. We'll make sure they don't abuse the darkness, I promise."


	8. The Darkside of Halloween Town

It didn't take long for the two princes to get down to brass tacks, focusing on their hearts and their properties. Tenmei understood, fully, that what happened was not a full surrendering to the Darkness; with how his heart stood, an eternal balance, it was impossible for his heart to be overfilled with Darkness. However, that surge of anger was what triggered the darkness to flow through him freely, and he wanted to understand why.

So, he suggested meditating to Ren, wondering if focusing on the Darkness would help them decipher this new power. Tenmei was a veteran - meditating came natural to him thanks to his training as the neutral judge of Light and Darkness.

Ren, on the other hand...

"...I think my leg is cramping up," the bored voice from the boy came, irritation clear in his tone. "What is sitting here in silence supposed to do anyway?"

Tenmei opened one eye, glaring slightly at the other boy. "Meditation is a wonderful tool for a Keyblade Warrior. For normal hearts, it calms the maelstrom of emotions, allowing a warrior of the Light to expel their negative thoughts and pretty much cleanse themselves, if only temporary, of any darkness threatening to swallow them." He then moved his hands to his own heart, fluidly and elegantly. "As for my heart, and by extension yours, it allows you and I to ponder the chaotic nature that is the Twilight, understanding both Light and Darkness as if speaking to an old friend, or listening to the stories of a beloved grandfather."

Ren blinked a few times before summoning his keyblade, looking at the keychain for a moment. "Understand it? I think it's kinda just like the yin-yang symbol or whatever... but alright, I'll keep trying." Ren sighed, closing his eyes again and attempting to calm himself from all the stress and negativity that has been laboring his heart for the last few days since they arrived to the future, though clearly he was having a hard time with it, as it was not long before he opened his eyes again, sighing as he lied down and looked at the ceiling.

Tenmei let out a low groan, opening his one eye again. "You have to focus on nothing to expel that stress, you know", he stated, clearly irritated with Ren's lack of focus.

Ren ignored the irritation coming from the boy, holding out his hand to the ceiling and looking like he was reaching out to something. "The only time I felt truly stress free was when I was in that place. If I could get there again, this would be so much easier..."

Tenmei was about to admonish Ren, but soon he stopped, both eyes now open. "That place... wait, was it a void, with a stain glass window set atop a pillar? Holding your image and those that were important to you?"

"Exactly!" Ren shouted, standing up suddenly. "There, I felt at peace... like whatever could happen to me there was going to make things ok! Even though I was confused as heck about what was going on, the stress from being chased by the heartless earlier was gone... if I could just get back there..."

Tenmei blinked a few times, before standing up. "Ren, that place was your Dive to the Heart. It's... well, I'm not fully sure what it is... basically, it's a part of the spiritual awakening of a Keyblade Warrior." He held up his keyblade. "I witnessed mine when I was very young... and I haven't been able to return since. I don't even know if a normal keyblade wielder can ever go there more than once."

Ren frowned at that, but the puzzled expression on his face remained as well. "Well, we aren't normal... so why not give it a shot?" Ren sat down, sighing a bit and closing his eyes. Tenmei rolled his eyes, finally grateful that Ren was at the very least going to focus on something instead of bothering him, going back to meditation. For a few minutes, there was nothing but silence between the two boys, before finally it was if they connected. Tenmei and Ren were not at the platforms, but were both floating in a void space. A single heart flew in front of them, darkness and light in equal quantities, swirling within the crystal like container, was floating in front of them. Then, suddenly, a second one appeared from behind the first one, floating to the side. Both hearts began to change just then, the light in one extending outwards while the darkness flowed inwards, making a core. The second heart did the opposite, darkness taking the outside while the light became a core on the inside. Just like that, the vision ended, and both boys found themselves back on the floor of the training room once again.

"W-what just happened?" Ren asked, confused.

Tenmei blinked several times, trying to burn the image into his mind. Slowly, he grinned. "That... that was it! That's how we beat Xao!" He stood up, focusing once more. Tendrils of darkness began to pool around him, swaying slightly in the air as he continued. It wasn't as powerful as the burst he had used in Agrabah, but it was there. Soon, the dark surge faded, leaving Tenmei as he was.

"That vision... it showed me how to create that surge again!" the former prince stated, beaming with pride. "I may not be able to fall to Darkness... but I can make my heart appear Dark, giving me a stronger connection to that side of the spectrum!"

Ren blinked, giving a small 'huh' as he stood up, and slowly darkness began to extend from his body in an aura, his eyes closed in meditative focus. Soon, darkness was surrounding him entirely, and his eyes opened to reveal that they had taken a chartreuse yellow coloration. He closed his eyes again, and the darkness completely evaporated, before a light aura surrounded him instead, and his eyes snapped opened to reveal a cerulean color had taken them instead. "This feels weird... I had no idea that the heart could even change this way."

"Well, we're the first Princes of Twilight in who knows how many generations", Tenmei said, walking over and gripping Ren's shoulder. "I think it's about time someone began making new discoveries, don't you?" He gave a gentle chuckle at that.

Ren looked down at his body, which was still glowing with golden light. Tenmei had turned away at that, celebrating his victory, but Ren did not seem as happy as the former prince was. "Tenmei... don't you think this is dangerous? What could go wrong if we stay in these Surges for too long?"

Tenmei stopped his silent cheering, glancing back at Ren. He began pondering the outcome of those new forms. "Hm... well, I would say that for a normal person, it's a huge risk to them because their heart might not be able to handle that amount of Light or Darkness... but for us... it might affect our personalities a bit. But how exactly?" Tenmei began to pace a bit, the new question getting the gears turning in his brain. "Perhaps accentuate different virtues in our personalities? I know that one of my major weaknesses is that I can get tunnel-vision, so I might be blind to it right now... but I don't see anything that would make using these forms dangerous."

Ren looked down at his hands, gripping them into fists as he let the aura of light fade. He silently had decided to himself that the forms might not be worth the risk, and that he would only use them if he needed to. "Right... hopefully we can beat Xao without resorting to them, but they are nice to have."

"They might be necessary", Tenmei stated, holding up a finger as he gave his argument. "When I fought Xao initially, he had me on the ropes without any effort... his darkness was simply too powerful, and he truly wielded it like a master. Even now, he is a strong threat, and I would never send Yumi or Hikari after him." He then smirked, walking over to Ren. "But I think I found his weakness. He may be strong with his dark powers... but he absolutely is defenseless against an actual, physical attack. I think, if we use the surges to push past his darkness, we can take him down before he gets too powerful."

"Let's hope that is the case," was all Ren said to that, as the two left the training room and headed into the main area of the ship. Hikari and Yumi were sitting at the console, watching as the Gummi Ship was carrying them to their next destination. Hikari only looked up briefly at them as they walked in, before turning back to stare out the window.

"Hey, guys... how did it go?" Yumi asked, although it was obvious she wasn't happy.

"Rousing success", Tenmei said, smiling. "We've discovered a way to make our hearts connect to both Light and Dark alignments better, allowing us to use powers that we didn't have access to before." He gripped his fist a bit. "With these new Surges, we can finally take him down."

Hikari looked at Ren for farther explanation, and thankfully she received it. "Basically, we can alter how our hearts... represent us. Normally, they act like a yin-yang symbol, with darkness and light swirling together in harmony, and basically what we do is channel it so one alignment is on the outside, while the other is repressed into the core of the heart. So, essentially..." Ren thought carefully about how to phrase this next part, cause both Hikari and Yumi were staring at him with a mixture of fear and interest. "I can weaken my connection to the darkness by repressing it to the center of my heart, while augmenting my powers with the light by bringing only it to the surface."

The fact he said light instead of darkness eased the tension a little bit, and he even got a smile from both of the girls. Hikari spoke for the first time since they entered the ship. "So this 'Light Surge' might be your best chance at beating Xao then... that's great news!"

Tenmei, on the other hand, frowned. "Not necessarily... but I won't rule it out. I know that using Darkness against him might be a bad idea... but..." At this he shook his head, knowing it was possible the girls wouldn't like it. "I'm... planning on using the Dark Surge at least one more time against him. I need to know if my theories about him are correct... and plus, it'll add the benefit of strengthening me against his abilities, should I be wrong."

"Strengthening you against his abilities?" Yumi asked.

Ren sighed, hoping to have to avoid talking about this part. "Darkness is weak against Light, while Light is weak against Darkness. Essentially, by taking a Light stance, you're strengthening your offense against the Dark, but at the same time, you're putting yourself more at risk to being hurt by it as well... these 'Surges' are a double edged sword, essentially..."

"Which is why we will not even attempt to teach you", Tenmei stated. "For the most part, your hearts are light. You wouldn't be able to handle allowing Darkness into your heart long enough to create a surge. And since you lack any darkness at all, you won't be able to create a Light Surge, either. You'll have to rely on your own strength and intellect to find your own power, I'm afraid." He shook his head once more, deciding to end this conversation before the girls tried to talk him out of his new plan. "Anyway... which world are we arriving at next?"

"...Halloween Town," Hikari muttered, turning away, once again in a sour mood. "We thought it was the best bet since Sora is already heading there as well... after being spat out of a giant whale."

"Don't ask," Yumi stated, seeing the look on Ren's face.

"Right... Monstro", Tenmei said, blanching a bit. "At least it's not Atlantica." The name made him shudder a bit, and he quickly composed himself. "Alright... then, we'll drop down, examine this world, and get out if we don't see any signs of Xao. I don't like Halloween that much, anyway."

With the plan in motion, despite not all members agreeing with it, the Gummi Ship touched down on the world, where Ren could see that true to the name, it seemed like a horror movie (at least a cheap one) come to life. He stepped out onto the world, not even realizing that his outfit had changed at first. He finally noticed it when he stopped to look down since he felt like something was off. It was like someone slapped him into a fantasy novel, as silver armor covered him from his head to toe, and despite not feeling like he was wearing anything heavier, just looking at it made him feel like it weighed a ton. "...so, what? Do I get a princess to save from a dragon, too?"

Tenmei blanched a bit, staring at Ren. "You've got to be kidding me... does this world turn you into a walking costume?" he asked, glancing over at Yumi.

"Yeah... this is the home of the Pumpkin King, after all", she stated. "This world is a literal embodiment of Halloween. If it didn't put you in a costume, I would be really surprised."

Tenmei glanced out at the world, now very reluctant to leave the ship. "Um... do one of you want to go first?"

"I'll go," Hikari bluntly said, stepping forward. Her change was much quicker to notice, as she was aware of the world's powers now. A purple robe donned her entire body, complete with a witch's hat. "...I am ok with this!"

"Better than my bulky setup," Ren muttered, a bit of salt coming off his words.

"So, you're next, right?" Tenmei asked, looking over at Yumi.

The redhead gave him a slow glare. "What's your deal? Are you afraid or something?"

"No!" Tenmei immediately shot down, before realizing how he said it. "No... it's not that. I just... I don't... want to change", he admitted. "I'm used to looking a certain way all the time... and I really, really hate sudden costume changes... I'd rather have a bit more warning..."

Yumi's eyebrow twitched at that. "If we have to deal with it, then so do you, _your highness_", she scolded, a bit of bite on the last two words. Tenmei flinched, but he didn't argue. She gave a sigh, before grabbing his hand (and fighting back the intense blush that threatened to light her face up). "Look, I'll go with you, okay?"

"... fine." And with that, the two stepped onto the world.

Tenmei's outfit melded away, turning into what looked like an elegant, black suit. A black, royal jacket covered the black vest underneath, with yellow trim and collar forming instantly. A cape, bound to him by a silver chain, flowed down to his knees, where his shoes became boots. Yumi, on the other hand, had taken to a green dress, that only traveled down to just above her knees. A white frill formed on the collar of her new outfit, while white socks traveled up to her knees, finishing the look off with a pair of yellow heels. A green ribbon tied her hair back, completing the ensemble.

"... and this is suddenly okay", Tenmei said, straightening himself and fixing his collar, showing off a pair of fangs as he spoke.

"See?" Yumi commented, nudging his side. "You were freaking out over nothing."

"He got a better outfit than I did," Ren muttered in jealousy. "I still want my princess, dammit."

Hikari gave a slight giggle at that, "Your trusty mage will accompany you on your quest to save her, Sir Ren."

"... you're making fun of me," Ren pouted with a bit of a blush on his face.

Tenmei and Yumi caught up to them at that point, both giving a smile. "Well... it's not ideal, but this'll work", Tenmei said. "Now... should we find out where Sora is in this mess? Or do we just see if we can spot Xao all over this place?"

"Well, if Xao was here, the world would be teeming with more powerful heartless, right?" Ren asked, looking around. "I don't sense anything too out of the-" he suddenly sensed a powerful darkness out of nowhere coming from the graveyard, his eyes flying towards that direction. "...and I spoke too soon."

"Perfect timing", Tenmei groaned, before summoning his keyblade. "Let's go!" The quartet ran off, heading towards the graveyard with serious and concerned looks on their faces. But when they arrived, there wasn't a trace of their target or his endless minions. Instead, a single Darkside heartless sat there, looking at them curiously as they approached.

"...a Darkside?" Ren tilted his head.

"Isn't that what Sora fought when Destiny Islands collapsed?" Hikari commented, also looking confused. "What is one doing here?"

"Seriously?" Tenmei deadpanned, his expression one of disbelief. "We felt that surge, followed it here... and all that we get is a bloody Darkside?"

Darkside faced off with them for a few moments, before suddenly a pulse of darkness escaped him, causing the four to flinch at the energy. A red glow surrounded him, as his eyes took on the same color, and four extra arms erupted from the body of the creature, complete with red tattoos all over the black body of the creature. The energy coming from the beast rivaled that of Xao when he assaulted their world, flooding the surrounding area with more Shadow heartless that were attracted by the dark power.

"...I don't think Darksides are supposed to do that," Ren sheepishly stated.

"You think?!" Yumi shouted. "The hell are we supposed to call this thing?!"

"Our target, that's what!" Tenmei shouted, taking charge. "Hikari, use Thunder on those shadows! They might have been drawn here by that thing, but they're still weak in the realm of light! We can't let them swarm up like they did on our Citadel!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," the blonde muttered, blasting a large number of them back with Thunder, destroying them instantly. Ren took charge as well, summoning light orbs and knocking away several of the shadows before turning to the 'super' Darkside, readying his weapon. The beast was much faster then a normal Darkside, his arm slamming into the ground so fast that it was practically undetected. Ren narrowly was able to escape getting hit before he began swinging at the arm, though he only got in a good two hits before the arm was withdrawn, and another was swung where Ren once stood, had he not side stepped out of the way.

"Seriously, this thing is strong..."

Tenmei flinched, taking a few whacks at the other hand before jumping back again. "I think Xao's just trying to mess with us, now", he said with anger. "Ren, you think you can target that thing's head?"

Ren nodded, before he ran back and spring boarded off a grave stone and onto the back of the beast. Before it had a chance to realize what was going on, several keyblade slashes had already flown at it, stunning the beast. Hikari summoned orbs of light much like Ren had earlier, and flung them at the Darkside as well.

"What can I do?" Yumi asked, growling in frustration. She swung her fist at another shadow, destroying it instantly. "I can't cast magic like Hikari, and I don't have a keyblade like you guys! I can't get close to that thing at all to hit it!"

Tenmei glanced over at her, then back at the beast. An idea formed in his head. "Do you trust me, Yumi?"

The redhead looked over at him, seeing his arm extended. She slowly nodded, before taking a hold. "Whatever idea you've got, I'm in."

"Then hold on tight", Tenmei stated, before jumping into the air. The two launched high above the monster, before Tenmei began spinning, picking up momentum. After a few hard swings, he launched Yumi downward, who had curled her hand into a fist, and with a roar, punched down, hitting the Darkside right between his red eyes. The beast let out a roar, stumbling back, before a beam of light struck it as well, with Tenmei pointing Twilight's Guardian down towards his back, where the arms all connected. Darkside flinched, before suddenly roaring out, evaporating into nothingness before them, leaving the four panting and exhausted in it's wake.

"A-alright... go team," Ren croaked, sitting down with sweat coming from his forehead.

"That was not fun," Hikari hissed, also sitting down.

Tenmei, while exhausted, merely used his keyblade as a crutch, leaning against it so he wouldn't fall over. "But... it was pretty damn good", he said, smiling a bit. He glanced over at Yumi, who took a seat next to her sister. "You okay?"

The redhead couldn't respond vocally, but she lifted her gauntlet-covered hand, slowly forming a thumbs up as she panted heavily.

"Quite a show you gave me," an all too familiar voice suddenly rang out, causing Ren to shoot back onto his feet instantly, gripping his keyblade tightly. Where the monster Darkside once stood, Xao suddenly was standing, looking over at them all with a pleased look on his face. "Did you like my present? I was testing the limits of my new powers."

"You can take your present and stuff it where the sun doesn't shine, Xao", Tenmei spat, standing up straight again as he held his keyblade once more.

"Hold your tongue," Xao stated, looking slightly amused. "You might even want to thank me. It was good practice was it not? Of course... it did also benefit my cause as well, so... maybe not."

"What sort of cause would you have that requires a super powered darkside?" Ren inquired, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"As I said before, why explain it to you if you do not figure it out for yourselves," Xao explained again.

"Maybe because you're a _psychotic riddler_ who gets off on _messing around with people's minds_?!" Tenmei stated, obviously annoyed. "We don't _know_ what you want! THAT'S WHY WE'RE ASKING, YOU IDIOT!"

Xao only smirked at that outburst, seeming to get joy at the fact that he was making Tenmei so mad. "Temper, temper... fine, if you really want to know, then let me give you a small clue that might piece it all together. A long time ago, a man existed who would sire two sons, legendary warriors who would become strong in the Twilight... his power. THAT is what I want."

Tenmei's blood ran cold at that. "The... the power of the King? But... he made the path of Twilight!" The prince brought his hands to his head in frustration, clearly upset. "I don't get it! What the hell are you even talking about?!"

"Maybe he's even more of an idiot then we thought he was," Ren suggested, shrugging off what Xao had said.

"Or maybe I'm not a fifteen year old novice and know what I am talking about," Xao shot at Ren. "That's all the hint you get. I want hearts, and I want the King of Twilight's power. From there, you four can work the rest out."

Tenmei let out a growl, not wanting to let the madman get away again. "Well... how about I stop you here so we don't have to listen to that again?" And with that, he focused on his heart, making it change before everyone's very eyes. Once more, the tendrils of darkness surrounded him, but this time, they soon exploded into an aura, exhuming the Darkness around him. He opened his eyes once more, revealing an amber glow that reminded everyone of the Heartless, and he slipped into an offensive stance, getting ready to charge again.

Xao raised his arm, and fired a blast of darkness that sounded like a cannon ball, but Tenmei was too quick for him. He parried the assault with his keyblade, before dashing forward and slashing at Xao, who narrowly managed to dodge the assault. Ren suddenly came from nowhere, and swung as well, though Xao dodged this as well. However, this is when he had made a mistake, underestimating the two boys, who suddenly turned and each one had struck one of his sides, causing him to yell in pain and warp onto a headstone, glaring down at them with a mixture of fury, but some amusement as well.

"Well, that happened..." he muttered, darkness surrounding his wounds to mend them.

"What's the matter, Xao?" Tenmei taunted, pleased that they had injured him again. "I thought if we attacked you like that again, you would destroy us. Or was that all talk?"

Fury and frustration raged up inside Xao for a brief moment, before his eyes became focused, and he stared down at them with what almost looked like... pity. "You two... have no idea... fine. You want me to unleash my true power? Then meet me in the world of pure darkness. There, you will receive my wrath." Xao turned to look at Ren, then turned back to Tenmei. "I'll destroy him right in front of you, for that big head of yours, Tenmei... and you will be his undoing by leading him to his demise."

Tenmei's eyes narrowed, and his smile faded. "If you try... Darkness or not... I will destroy you." Their clash had the prince convinced; Xao was not a physical fighter.

Xao only smirked at this, before he began to vanish into the dark portal that he conjured underneath him, sinking into it. "If you can."


	9. The Prince's Delusion

Tenmei let out a grunt, swinging his keyblade from side to side, targeting the dummy in front of him. Darkness surged around him, increasing his abilities as he imagined his target as Xao. He needed to ensure his technique was on point, so that should they finally meet, he could fight the psycopath well enough to, at the very least, be considered an equal. With increasingly vicious strikes, Tenmei could only imagine Xao's reactions as every swing struck him.

A swipe to his gut, a cleave towards his back, a parry and a thrust... every move meant he was one step closer towards achieving his goal. Xao was nearly within his grasp, he just needed to-

"Hey, Tenmei!"

The noise brought his attention, and instinctively, Tenmei let out a loud roar, swinging his keyblade downwards towards the voice. It was only a fraction of a second from hitting Ren when Twilight's Guardian stopped, hovering not even an inch away from his nose as Tenmei dismissed the Dark Surge, panting heavily.

"Oh... hey..." Tenmei said, breathing a bit heavy. "You startled me..."

Ren blinked, looking at the teeth of the blade that was inches from cleaving him in two. "I don't think 'hey' is the appropriate response for almost killing a friend, but whatever... anyway, about that dual wielding keyblade thing you do-"

"You want me to teach you how to split Twilight's Balance?" Tenmei asked, brushing off Ren's observation as if it was a minor detail. "Sure, I can do that. It looks like your keyblade was designed for that, so it shouldn't be too hard."

"Really!?" Ren said, looking pleased. "Cool! I think it would be helpful against Xao, and plus it's cool as hell!"

Tenmei looked troubled at the mention of Xao, but did his best to conceal his worry. He instead held his own keyblade in hand. "Twilight's Guardian acts, for me, as not only a weapon, but an extension of myself. Should I need to focus on speed instead of power, or require something to block with as well as attack, the blade changes shape to match my needs. It's mostly an instinctive thing."

Ren summoned Twilight's Balance, eyeing the blade with interest. "I can see _how_ it should split into two... the question is how do _I_ split it?"

Tenmei offered his advice once more. "Try imagining that you need it to split; say you're in a situation where having two blades would be better than one. If you're skilled enough, it should adapt it's shape for you easily."

Ren looked down at the blade, and held it as if he was going to try again, but before he could, Hikari's voice suddenly came from the other room. "Hey, we're almost at Neverland, so you two might want to get ready to go!"

Ren sighed, dismissing the blade. "Alright, we're on our way... who knows, maybe Xao will troll us on this world as well so that I can try it."

"I doubt it... we did piss him off quite a bit last time", Tenmei said with a smirk. "But it's better to check just in case he does have plans here. We'll move on to Hollow Bastion afterwards."

With that, the two left the training room, with the former prince heading straight to the captain's chair, taking a seat. Yumi blinked a couple times, before speaking up. "Um.. you're not gonna take a shower first?"

"No point", Tenmei stated, waving a dismissive hand. "If Xao's here, I'm just gonna get another workout smacking his head around. I'll take one when we get back."

"Besides, we're pretty much here", Ren stated, looking down at the world as it came into view. "There's no point in delaying any longer... I can sense _something_ is going on down there..."

Tenmei narrowed his eyebrows. "Whatever it is, it's dark, but it's not Xao level of dark. But we can't pass this up..." He began hitting the control's, taking the ship in for a landing. "We're checking it out. Prepare to land on the Neverland Island."

The ship descended down onto a small group of islands just off the coast of the mainland, overlooking a ship that Yumi knew Sora was currently encountering Riku and learning about how the young boy could now control the Heartless. They disembarked with haste, mostly cause Tenmei was rushing out the door in order to make sure that everything there was alright and that they could move on to where Xao was awaiting them as fast as possible. After one quick look around, however, it seemed almost fruitless to land on the world at all, as the only thing that seemed off was that the heartless were just a tad stronger then they should be, but nothing like the six armed Darkside beast that they had faced off against last time.

"I don't think he's here..." Hikari muttered.

"But something is", Tenmei mused. "Maybe it's a follower he's managed to pick up? Let's find them and take them down. Maybe beat some information out of them."

They headed farther into the world, beating the heartless that stood in their way but finding nothing of interest until much later. Deep into the world, located inside the cave known as Skull Rock, when it seemed like nothing could be found there other then the usual, was a familiar face, standing in a swarm of heartless that seemed to dare not attack him. He looked at them with a curious expression, one not of joy to see them again, but certainly not of loathing or hatred either. "Oh... hey guys. Fancy seeing you here."

Yumi was the first to react, surprisingly. "S-Shun?" she asked, lowering her shield a bit. "Where have you been?!"

"I think it would be easier to explain where I haven't been", Shun stated, smirking a little as if he had made a funny joke. "Been kinda everywhere honestly. Been focusing on getting stronger as well."

Ren tilted his head, looking concerned at the Heartless that surrounded Shun, but did not seem to want to attack him. He set that aside, however, and stepped forward, dismissing his keyblade. "Come on, Shun. We need to get to Hollow Bastion! Xao is there, and we're about to take him on!"

Shun looked curiously at Ren, "Oh, I know he is there. He took me there, after all."

At that, Tenmei stepped forward, but he did not dismiss his keyblade. Instead, he stared at the teen, noticing something was off. "... what have you been doing this whole time?" he asked, his tone one of curiosity... and hidden ferocity. "You've been focusing on getting stronger... and yet I don't see a sword in your hand... so that means you're not trying to defeat the Heartless here."

"The Heartless obey me, _prince_", Shun commented, a bit of bite in his tone. "They aren't going to attack me, so there is no reason to have my sword right now... as for what I have been doing, well... bonding with my father, I guess is the simplest way to put it."

"Y-Your father?" Hikari asked, lowering her staff more, looking at Shun with a mixture of confusion and pity. "But Shun, your father is-"

"Not the man I thought he was", Shun instantly said, glaring at the blonde. "I found out the truth recently... about who I am, how I was made to be... everything. I ask you four, how does it feel to be real!?"

Yumi let her shield fall, thoroughly confused. "What do you...? Shun, you're real too! You're our friend, right?"

"I thought what I knew was the truth, but he showed me the truth", Shun stated, gritting his teeth. "Xao... is my 'father', in a manner of speaking."

"That's a lie!" Ren instantly said, stepping forward, but this time he seemed very on guard at the way Shun was acting. "We knew your father since childhood, there's no way that Xao is-"

"That is what I thought too", Shun interrupted, clearly pained by the topic at hand. "But Xao proved to me that I am... a replica."

"A what-a-what?" Hikari was baffled at this point, unable to even process what was occurring anymore.

"A replica", Tenmei said, stepping up. "The program was created eons ago - to us, anyway - to see if one could create a person artificially. If a replica has a heart, it's almost impossible to distinguish them from a normal person... only the creator would know." He stared at Shun, giving the boy a look of pity as his lips twisted into an angry snarl. "The creators of replicas are supposed to care for them... and the subject is so touchy, most of the people of Twilight Citadel avoided them. In fact, a hundred years ago or so, one of my ancestors forbade anyone in the royal family or connected to the Citadel from using one. Xao... he keeps giving me more reasons to hate him."

At that, Shun actually glared, giving Tenmei a look of loathing. "But don't you see? It is him that gave me life, and because of that I can exist, and even taught me way more then I could have learned from any of you, or that old fool... the darkness holds more secrets than even the previous king knew of, don't you see... and together, my father and I, we will unlock them all."

Ren knew his friend was lost, despite the girls looking forward and reaching out to Shun as if he was just a lost child clinging to a cliff in a desperate attempt to get to safety. "You're stupid if you think that. The darkness will swallow you up, Shun, just as it has your 'father'."

Shun growled at that, summoning his sword to his side, though something about it looked different. "I dare you to say that again... old friend."

Tenmei stepped up next, not afraid to speak his mind. "Your father is a delusional psycopath who gets his jollies by messing with kids and destroying an entire world. And if you think you can protect his image..." He stepped into a battle stance, the darkness already pooling at his feet.

"Then I dare you to try and hit me, you_ novice_."

"No, don't!" Hikari screamed, not wanting to see her friends battle. But the damage was already done, Shun had charged forward and began to clash with the two Twilight Keybladers, though unlike his father he was actually adept at physical combat, and was proving that he was not going to be easy to take down. Tenmei and Ren were both giving their all just to try and hit the boy, while he was unleashing his fury onto them, his mind made up about what he used to call his friends. Finally, he pointed his sword down and shot a blast of darkness from it, enveloping the area in smoke as he leapt up, watching them from a high rock outside of the cave's "eye".

"Enough!" Shun shouted, glaring down at them. "There is no reason for us to fight here. We are going to settle this soon anyway, are we not? The gate to Hollow Bastion is open now that Sora is done here, so your way to us is clear. My father is ready, having trained his body to fight physically... the question is... can you handle his newfound powers?"

Tenmei snarled, his amber eyes glaring up at Shun. "I'm giving you one last chance, Shun! Listen to us! We don't want to keep fighting you!" He held his hand over his heart. "Xao creating you for selfish gains is despicable, but I still want you to be here, with your friends! It doesn't matter that he told you you're not real - you are to them! Are you really going to throw that away, along with the rest of all you knew from Twilight Citadel?!"

Shun only scowled at that, "My life has been a lie... I grew up thinking that I had a real family, that I had an actual purpose... but my purpose all this time has been to serve him when the time came... I have to serve him, or else..."

Ren ran forward at that, looking up at his friend in a desperate plea. "You don't believe that, Shun! You can choose to defy him! You just wont because you are too afraid of what will happen if you don't!"

Shun actually looked saddened at that, looking down at Ren with a look that a sad puppy would give it's master. "It is... too late to stop what is fated to be, Ren..."

"That's bull!" Tenmei argued. "You always have a choice! Fate?! Destiny?! What kind of lies has Xao been feeding you this whole time?!"

Shun's eyes seemed to change at that, glowing a tad as the boy smirked, a dark portal appearing underneath him as he began to sank into the abyss. "The same lines your _spineless, worthless father_ fed you your whole life, you _so-called prince_."

And with that, he was gone.

Tenmei stared at the spot Shun was, his eyes wide in shock, his jaw practically hitting the floor. There was plenty he would take; calling him a fool, an ignorant child, all manner of taunt and jab at his pride was easy to handle.

In comparison? Insulting his father was _unforgivable_.

Tenmei's jaw clenched, his lips firmly twisted into a terrible scowl. The darkness began rolling off of him in waves, more than he ever put out before. "How... _dare_ he..." he muttered, the darkness even making his skin darker. While usually a rather fair complexion, it slowly became an unnatural tan, with black decals starting to form on his arms and legs. "No one... _no one_... insults my father..." He let loose an inhuman growl. "... he will pay for this."

"No," Ren instantly spoke, stepping up. "Tenmei, he is just trying to get under your skin... he isn't himself right now. Shun is a trouble maker, a prankster, and hell; he's even a bit insufferable... but the way he is acting isn't him, I know that better than anyone. We've been friends since I was a child, and how he is acting isn't how he is... let me be the one to handle Shun, cause I know that once I reach him-"

"HE INSULTED MY FATHER! HIS _KING!_" Tenmei snapped, turning to face Ren. The boy stared in horror as his teeth elongated, forming into fangs. "As far as I'm concerned, that insufferable replica is just like Xao! I can not, _WILL NOT_ stand for this!" He turned away from Ren, stepping forward and holding his hand up. A dark corridor appeared, the first the prince had summoned in front of them. "I am going to Hollow Bastion, ALONE, and after I have Xao's head on a PIKE, SHUN is going to learn a lesson HE'LL NEVER FORGET!"

Hikari and Yumi were practically pressed up against a rock in fear, looking at Tenmei as if he was a heartless himself. However, Ren, braver than he probably should be at that point in time, only looked at Tenmei with a determined look in his eyes. "Then... we stand on opposing sides. I don't care who you are, Tenmei, but I think you know what I am getting at... I _don't_ let people just hurt my friends. If you want Shun... then you'll have to destroy me." A threat, or a desperate plea, no one knew; either way what Ren had said drew the line. Hikari began to cry, tears slowly falling from her face, and Yumi was petrified in response to that. Ren summoned Twilight's Balance again, holding the blade up. "Either way, I am going to Hollow Bastion, too."

Tenmei stared down at the keyblade in Ren's hand, growling. "... you're just like _him_", he said softly, glaring up at the boy that stood in his way. "You're just like that man... my father gave him his job, out of obligation... but his boneheaded stubbornness... his meddlesome attitude... sticking his nose where it did _not_ belong. Had I known better, I'd assume he was vying for a place in my court... or even _my throne_."

While Hikari and Yumi looked confused, Ren seemed to know exactly what Tenmei was getting at, as he stepped forward with Twilight's Balance held firm. "I never cared about your title... nor did my father... we just wanted to do the right thing... and right now, what you're doing is not that."

"What I'm DOING is AVENGING MY PEOPLE!" Tenmei snarled, his perspective warped. His keyblade split into two, both blades pointed at Ren. "Last chance, Ren. Move... or I _make_ you move."

"Then make me", Ren shot back, bracing himself into a battle stance. "But like I told you before, you're going to need to destroy me. If you can't do that, then I will just keep trying to stop you from losing your mind to the darkness."

Tenmei let out a low growl, and Ren soon realized the prince had delved too far. The darkness spread, even taking over his two keyblades as they were wreathed in dark flames. "Don't say I didn't warn you, _friend!_" And with that, faster than Ren could predict, both blades struck him down, hitting him squarely in the arms. Bones cracked under the force of his hit, and his keyblade was knocked loose within another second, just as the pain began to flood his mind. With a scream of rage and agony, Ren crumpled to the ground, unable to protect himself now. With a swift kick, he was forced aside, landing further away from the corridor.

"It is only because of Master Hiroto that I do not end you now, Ren", Tenmei said with a growl, not caring if he couldn't hear him over the pain. "And... if I did kill you... I would be no better than my target." He looked over to Hikari and Yumi for the first time, and they saw his stance falter. Instantly, the flames on his blades retreated, and for a second, they could see his eyes shine with... was that regret? He even hastily turned away, but the two girls could see a single tear trailing down his cheek. "... take him as far away from Hollow Bastion as you can. I will not allow Xao to take him. This... is my last request to you both."

"Why should we listen to you?!" Hikari shouted, her fear taking over. "You _monster_! What have you done?!"

Tenmei flinched at that, did not deny her accusation. With nothing else to be said, he walked into the corridor before him, and once it collapsed, the unbelievable pressure of Darkness faded, allowing Yumi to take that breath she desperately had been holding onto.

"...stand up, sister," Hikari shot towards her, seriousness radiating off her voice. She ran forward, grabbing Ren as gently but as forcefully as she could with light magic, turning towards where they parked the Gummi Ship. "We need to go."

Yumi slowly picked herself up, her knees shaking as she attempted to stand. Soon, she followed behind Hikari. "Is... is he gonna be okay?" she asked meekly, still feeling the after effects of the darkness.

"I will _make_ him ok, even if it costs me my life", Hikari replied, her eyes only for the ship that was before them. "I will _not_ let Ren die... not now. Not as long as I draw breath."

Yumi looked back down at her feet, gripping her shield tighter in her hand. She knew that if she spoke, her next words would probably send Hikari into a rage, but she needed to say them. "And... Tenmei...?"

Hikari stopped just as she was about to enter the Gummi Ship, pausing for a moment to either calm down, or choose her words carefully. Either way, Yumi did not like the answer that came from her.

"If he ever hurts any of my friends again... I'll destroy him myself. You can bet on that!"


	10. Hollow Battle

Tenmei stared at the army before him. His arrival at Hollow Bastion was made easy on purpose, seeing as there was no resistance as he attempted to travel. The former prince saw the welcome committee waiting for him and only sighed.

Xao, no doubt, spied upon them, learning that he was going to come here alone. Either Shun was watching from a safe distance... or Xao himself had spied the happenings on Neverland. Needless to say, the amount of Heartless standing between him and the gate alone was staggering. Several Invincibles, Wyverns, Angels and more floated above them, while dozens of Knights and Large Bodies stood in his way, taking a blocky stance to force him to slow down. He even spied a Behemoth way ahead of him, staring him down with a predatory look in its yellow gaze.

Tenmei glared up, gripping his divided Guardian firmly. "Alright, Xao... you bastard", he murmured, the darkness radiating off of him as he took his first step forward. "Ready or not... I'm coming for you!"

With that declaration, the army descended upon him.

Several lightyears away, Hikari's hands were surrounded by pure light, the waves of energy being sent right into Ren's arms. The bones were mending instantly, but the scrapes and gashes were taking longer to heal, and finally when Hikari was done with her healing spell, the cuts were still there, clear as day and showing that something definitely happened to Ren. The keyblader opened his eyes slowly, groaning a little in pain. "H-Hikari... Y-Yumi... where are we?"

"We're on the ship", Yumi said, deciding to speak while Hikari rested a bit. "You... you passed out from the pain." She looked over at Ren's arms. "And... well, we can't get them fully healed yet. It might be a while before you can do anything with your arms."

Ren sighed, swinging his arms around a bit, before slowly standing up and summoning his keyblade, pretending to fight something for a moment in slowness before he nodded, dismissing the weapon. "Good enough... set a course to Hollow Bastion."

Yumi blinked, before standing up. "R-Ren, we can't! Tenmei literally _one-shot_ you before taking a corridor there! You might be able to fight small fry, but-"

"Set a course for Hollow Bastion", Ren said defiantly. "He's going after Xao and Shun, and Light knows what he'll do if he finds either one of them. He needs backup, and I need to smack some sense into Shun."

Hikari sniffled, standing up after sobbing silently to herself a bit, "Ren... I understand Shun, but I think we need to focus on you first before we deal with _him_... plus, who knows if you can even fight Shun, let alone Xao and Tenmei right now."

Ren looked down at his arms for a moment before turning to the girls, a serious expression on his face. "I made a promise to Tenmei to stop him from letting his mind fall to darkness, and I do _not_ break my promises. Plus, Shun needs our help as well. I'd rather not let Tenmei get to him first."

"And what are you going to do? Flail your arms at him and hope he gets annoyed enough to hear you out?" Yumi stated, exasperated. "If we go to Hollow Bastion, you're not going to make it out! We can't afford to lose you, too!"

Ren glared at them both, his anger at the situation finally getting to him a bit. "Fine... then we can just sit here and let Tenmei kill Shun then!"

At that, both girls were stunned silent. Hikari began shaking with anger, her own promise flaring up. But surprisingly, it wasn't her that spoke up next.

"He won't kill Shun."

They both turned to Yumi, who had lowered her head, her bangs covering her eyes a bit. "He won't do it... he would never. He... he made a promise to Grandpa..." She then grit her teeth. "That... that damn Darkness... why didn't I ask him not to use it... it's because of that stupid, useless Dark Surge..."

Ren sighed, instantly regretting what he said. "I know Tenmei won't really kill Shun... but as I told you before, I made my promise and I do not, _do not_, break a promise." At that, light energy began to surround him, his eyes turning the cerulean color that was signature to his Light Surge, his arms healing a bit more just as the exposure to his own light, and Hikari's light still within them. "Either way, I am going... if you girls want to come, then come... but I got a promise to keep... and a friend to smack some sense into, if you guys are in." With that, he left the bedroom, heading directly to the control panel to map a course to the next world.

"... don't trust him", came the broken voice from the blonde just then. She sat on the bed, still shaking from her rage and frustration at the entire situation, tears streaming down her face. "E-Even if you t-think it's just the darkness... I, _we_, can't trust him..."

Yumi stared her sister down. And for the first time ever, Hikari saw her sister stare at her defiantly, an angry scowl forming on her lips.

"That Darkness... is _not_ Tenmei", Yumi said with finality. "Even if I have to face him myself... I'll bring him back. I promised him..." Tears began to well in her eyes. "_We_ promised... to p-protect each other... h-he w-wouldn't..."

Finally, Yumi's emotions couldn't be contained. She ran over to her sister, and despite her anger at Hikari's words, she still held her tight, sobbing silently as the ship began to veer, indicating a change in course. In the other room, Ren sighed, watching as a destroyed world was plotted on the map, before turning to the training room and walking inside, knowing that if he was going to face Shun, Xao, and possibly Tenmei; then he was going to need to become stronger, and quickly.

Hours later, the ship descended onto the broken world, various broken pillars leading up to the castle where they all knew more darkness was just awaiting them. Just moments before, Sora had been here and lost his keyblade to Riku, and now Ren and the two girls stepped out on their own ship, landing on the opposite side of the world where Tenmei had been before.

"Let's go", Ren muttered, summoning his keyblade to his side, his green eyes focused on the castle. "Tenmei has a lead on us, and we need to get to Shun before he does."

However, Tenmei was struggling. Even in the hours he had been battling, he only had gotten halfway to where he knew Xao was waiting for him. It was here the Dark Surge started to hinder him more than help him. Sure, it made it difficult for the Heartless to actually hurt him, but that also made his skills weaker against them, since they could resist his attacks. He had to resort to using only physical attacks to take down the enemies, and even with his years of training as a Keyblade Warrior, a master he was not, and these forces were more advanced than most anything Xao had thrown at him.

He panted heavily, taking down his third Behemoth, before falling to his knees, using his keyblade to keep him supported. The moment of weakness was short, though, as he drew in more darkness from the world around him, and soon stood back up, staring towards the top of the castle. "Have... to keep going..." he muttered, readying his weapon once more.

This caused Ren and the girls, despite their thinking Tenmei was far ahead of him, to quickly catch up to where the lost prince was... at least on the other side of the world. Ren and company had ran into a library looking room, but the books were gone from the place, destroyed wooden planks and boards being the only thing that even hinted that this place once might have been a library. Ren attempted to ignore the room, proceeding towards the door on the other side, but suddenly the feeling that he was being watched caught his attention, and he looked up to see Shun standing on a balcony above him.

"And where do you think you are going?" Shun asked, glaring down at the trio with disdain. "I have strict orders from father... I need to hold you here as long as I can."

Ren stepped forward, a frown on his face. "Shun... come on. You don't really want to do this."

Shun grit his teeth, clenching his fist in rage. "I-I have to, Ren. You don't understand. I _am_ him, therefore whatever he says goes. He is stronger than me, and if I even dare to disobey him he'll..." the voice trailed off, as if thinking about whatever Xao would do to him was too painful to say.

"We're your friends, Shun!" Hikari shouted up at him, but she still readied her staff at the same time. "We can help you combat the darkness! We can help you defeat Xao! Just trust us, please! Just trust me..."

A hint of regret and pain filled Shun's eyes for a moment, but he jumped down, readying his sword and ignoring what Hikari said. Realizing that words were pointless, Ren readied his own weapon, and after a short stand off, the two boys charged, despite the protests that came from the sisters behind Ren.

As for the prince, he gave a relieved sigh when he finally made it to the last door in his path. He grabbed a potion from his pocket, taking a big swig and draining it almost instantly before tossing the bottle aside, breathing in deeply as the darkness swelled around him. With amber eyes locked in determination, he forced the door open, walking in slowly as he looked around the room. It seemed to be a part of one of the towers, with damage to the roof letting the sunshine in. He readied his Twilight's Guardian immediately, looking around and preparing for an attack from any direction.

"So, you have arrived," Xao muttered from the other side of the room, sitting on a chair as if it was a throne. "Not surprising that you got here first, considering what you did to your 'friend' back then, huh, Tenmei?"

"You said that you would destroy him in front of me", Tenmei said simply, as if the logic was obvious. "If he can't fight, then he can't be here to face you. I may be many things, Xao, but I will not underestimate you again." His amber eyes locked onto the throne with a slow burning fury growing. "I've already paid for that before, and if what your replica said is true, then I can't risk Ren being here to face you with your new skills."

Xao smirked, standing up from his throne and holding out his hand, three fingers extended into the air with overconfidence. "Three, Tenmei... there are three things that you didn't take into account. The first, is that you underestimated the resolve of your friend Ren. In fact, if you count my replica and me as the same person... then he is already fighting me down below, so you failed on that part."

Tenmei let out a soft snort. "Shun is strong... but Ren has Hikari and Yumi to support him. He won't go down that easily."

"Two," Xao continued, as if Shun being defeated by Ren did not matter to him in the slightest. "You're still using darkness against me, so this shouldn't be a challenge for me should you continue to be stupid... and finally, three." At that, a swirl of darkness appeared, and what looked like a black, damaged version of the Ultima Weapon keyblade suddenly appeared, missing a keychain and some of the teeth of the blade. "You really underestimated how strong I would become... just like your _spineless, worthless father._"

At this, though, Tenmei spoke again, his voice laced with fury. "And you underestimate only one thing about me", he said, the darkness surging again. It continued to grow until Tenmei took the form he had used when he injured Ren on Neverland, his Guardian now wreathed in obsidian flames. "You underestimate how much I _hate_ you for_ killing your best friend._"

With a roar, Tenmei rushed forward, his keyblade clashing against Xao's weapon.

Down below, Shun was lying on the ground, defeated in combat. He groaned in agony, before beginning to vanish into a sea of darkness. Ren yelled out as he attempted to catch the hand of his friend, but it was in vain as the young boy vanished into darkness, into parts unknown to any of the three.

"W-what happened?" Hikari asked, concern in her voice.

Ren only remained silent for a moment, staring at where once Shun was, before looking up, as if sensing something above. "Shun will be fine, and we will find him in time... come on, Tenmei is above, and we need to go help him!"

As they traveled up, Tenmei was launched into a wall, his back hitting hard against the side of the tower. His body was much worse for wear, his clothes torn and tattered, his skin covered in scrapes and scratches. He let out a cough, feeling some blood coming up with the air as he fell to the ground, landing in a heap. His keyblade vanished as he tried to bring himself to his knees, barely able to support himself.

On the other hand, Xao was probably in worse shape than he expected to be. The fight was clearly one-sided, but Tenmei had definitely got in a few - or a dozen - good shots, leaving the older warrior battered and bruised, but still able to stand tall and proud.

"I must admit that I am impressed", Xao stated, staring down at Tenmei. "To think you got this far while lost in your darkness, losing your mind slowly to the abyss... but still, you have failed, Tenmei. Your people will not be avenged today, and my plan will come to pass."

Tenmei looked up slowly at Xao, gritting his teeth as he glared through his one good, now red eye. He spat at the ground, another defiant act. "Go... to... hell..." he wheezed out, still hating the man more than caring about his own well being.

"Ever the brat, even within your last moments", Xao smirked, raising his psuedo-keyblade up at Tenmei and pointing it at his heart. "Then you can just die, and become one with my blade." He raised his arm back, getting ready to stab, but suddenly he looked to the left, dodging suddenly as Ren flew in from out of nowhere, swinging Twilight's Balance at where Xao once stood, causing the man to leap back to avoid getting hit by the attack.

"Hands off my friend!" Ren shouted, glaring at Xao in defiance.

"R-Ren... n-no..." Tenmei croaked, his eyes wide as he stared at his back. "H-he's... too strong... run..."

Ren looked over his shoulder, a single glance showing his determination. "I told you, I will save you, and I am here to make good on that promise. I do not break my promises, Tenmei, so I can't run... not now."

Xao looked amused, smirking as he stood up and stared at the two. "Ah... so now we can go back to Plan A. I was afraid that Shun had dispatched you and your two friends, but alas... he was always doomed to fail from the start, an imperfect replica, as he was... though still useful in the end."

Ren grit his teeth, rage filling him from hearing Xao talk about his friend like that. "Shut up!" he shouted, flying at Xao once again. The two warriors clashed weapons, almost like they were in a dance, though to the experienced eye, it was clear that Xao was merely toying with the boy, who's swings and combos were predictable to the sudden master. Hikari and Yumi ran up to him, the latter of the two grabbing onto him and beginning to pull on his body, attempting to move him.

"Y-Yumi..." Tenmei wheezed out, looking over at her.

"Shut up, you idiot", she said, her eyes welling with unshed tears. "We're getting you out of here."

The prince then looked at Hikari, who was regarding him with hate, but he had to ignore that. "H-help... h-heal m-me.."

"Why?" the icy tone came, the hazel eyes locked onto his broken body with the same disdain she bore when facing any dark creature. "After you hurt Ren, after you told us you would 'deal with Shun'... after you relied on the Darkness for so long that it twisted your mind!? How can I trust that you won't betray us right now, you... you..."

"R-Ren... is g-going... to d-die", Tenmei pleaded, his eye starting to water. He shook with silent sobs, staring up at her. "P-please... let me... fight... w-with him... I'm... b-begging you..."

For a few seconds, nothing but the sounds of Ren's blade clashing with Xao's could be heard, then Hikari turned and raised her hands towards Tenmei. Yumi gasped, thinking she was about to destroy him, but a green burst of light shot forth from her hand as 'Curaga!' was screamed by the blonde. Tenmei's wounds were healed, though not to full capacity, but good enough for him to stand and fight. "Ren is my friend... and if you even think about doing anything to him, you'll have me to answer to, prince. You get one last chance."

Tenmei nodded, the swelling over his right eye fading as he looked towards Ren. He knew that her faith in him was lowered, and he realized his weakness before. The Dark Surge had played on his tunnel-vision, making him only focus on destroying Xao. But this time, he forced his focus to change, and this time, when he activated his surge, it wasn't to hunt Xao down to the ends of the earth.

It was to keep Ren alive, no matter what.

In an instant, he was back in the fight, vaulting off of the wall as he cleaved downward with Twilight's Guardian, the force of his swing knocking Xao off balance for an instant, giving the prince enough time to kick Xao away. But instead of following, this time he took a stance between them, glaring at Xao with both hands on his blade, waiting for the psycho to make his next move.

Xao stood, no longer cocky, no longer looking as if he was going to toy with them. He raised his weapon, and for a brief moment it looked as if he was going to charge at Tenmei again, but instead he darted to the right, attempting to get around him. Tenmei and Ren reacted instantly, anticipating his moves and countering him. The fight had now taken a bigger meaning, as Xao was no longer toying with his adversaries, and the two warriors were pushing him far more together then either one could have done so alone.

"Coming here was a mistake", Tenmei said to Ren. "We need to escape... now."

"Then we need to create an opening", Ren noted, looking over at the sisters briefly before he blocked a flank by Xao. "Get the girls out of here first, then we can follow!"

"I'm not leaving you behind again", Tenmei countered, looking back at Ren. "He wants your_ heart_! If I leave you alone for a second, he'll overpower you!"

"Technically, I could have either of your hearts", Xao stated, blocking a blow from both of them. "...and technically, you've already made your last mistake, so it is too late." From the block, he swung upwards, causing both keyblades to fly up, and suddenly with a swift movement, so fast that no one even saw it happen until it was finished...

He had stabbed Ren right in the heart.


	11. Twilight Heartless

The silence was deafening, as Tenmei stared in horror. Meanwhile, the satisfied grin on Xao's face only sold how much of an inhuman creature he was. Ren's eyes glanced down towards the blade in his heart, his eyes widened in shock and pain. Even when Tenmei had broken both of his arms, he did not feel the agony that he was feeling now, as if his heart was threatening to be ripped from his body. It was so intense, he could barely move, barely feel, and he couldn't even let out a single sound as the pain filled his senses.

Shouts of horror and fear came from the girls, but Ren could hardly hear them, slowly staring up at the malicious smirk on his enemy's face. Suddenly, a pulse erupted from his body, sending everyone flying, including Xao, who only continued to smirk in victory despite being sent back at a rapid speed. Ren's heart then left his body, sparkles of light and darkness emitting from the now vanishing boy, as his heart hovered in place, free for the taking.

"Mine", Xao lustfully whispered, getting up and walking slowly to Ren's heart as if in a dream, his hand outstretched.

Tenmei had been hit so hard, he couldn't keep up the Dark Surge, his focus broken. He looked up, seeing Xao had already taken his first stride, approaching the heart with new vigor. The boy felt his tears streaming down his face, unable to be contained at the pain and horror he felt.

_This is what you get for using Darkness so much!_

_You deserve this!_

_You failed them all!_

_You failed your friends, your family!_

_You let our world fall!_

_You let him win!_

Voices of anger and loathing spun through his head, calling him every insult under the sun. He could only watch in misery as Xao got closer, his fingers almost touching the heart.

But then, one voice spoke out above all the others, one that silenced everything else, and his purpose became clear.

_You may deserve what's coming to you... but Ren does_** not**_._

Just as Xao was about to claim his prize, a barrier suddenly appeared, nearly slicing his fingers off as it completely made Ren's heart untouchable. Before he could even fully process what happened, more barriers appeared, layering upon each other until it was impossible for Xao to claim his prize. The three humans turned, wondering what caused this, and soon, their eyes landed on Tenmei. He still was on the ground, and his tears continued to fall, but his demeanor had changed. Now, his eyes took on a violet hue, and Xao could see his wounds being mended in the aura of light about him. Even his hair became brighter, reflecting more of the ambient light about him, making it difficult to look at him. He stood slowly, a determined glare in his eyes as he stared the psycho down.

"That heart... belongs to... my family", he said slowly, his voice echoing with an ethereal feel to it. "You, _monster_... will not touch it."

The rage Xao felt, his prize so close, yet out of reach, was more powerful than anything he had ever felt. A roar escaped the man, resembling that of a heartless... or, perhaps, even worse then that. Hikari and Yumi watched in utter terror as Xao flew forward, resembling a beast that was fighting for its last meal, and all they could see was blurs of motion from that point on.

"R-Ren", came the broken voice of Hikari, who was staring in shock at Ren's floating heart, still unable to process what was going on, but it only got worse. The heart was vibrating wildly, until suddenly the unthinkable happed.

It split into two.

"REN!" Hikari screamed, attempting to penetrate the barrier to claim the heart herself, but the power of it repelled her backwards. A light glow surrounded one of the halves, while a aura of darkness took hold of the other. Suddenly, both halves vanished, leaving not a trace of themselves behind, and the barrier that Tenmei had cast fell, no longer needing to protect the heart it once contained.

"YOU LITTLE BRAT!" Xao cursed, swinging his blade down with fury.

Tenmei, meanwhile, had summoned the Guardian, blocking each blow. Xao was surging with power, that much was certain, but his rage made his blows predictable. After taking a few strikes, he had begun fighting defensively, slowly turning the tables on the man. Suddenly, mid-strike, he split his keyblade in two, using one to strike out and cut up Xao's leg. That one strike alone did more damage than any he had landed in Dark Surge, and Xao let out a loud howl of pain before being kicked back, thrown off balance by his new injury. Tenmei stood straight, glaring at the man before him as he wielded the split Twilight's Guardian, ready to move at a moment's notice.

"You have lost, Xao", Tenmei said. "Just like how my father defeated you fifteen years ago. You never learned your lesson, and your focus on your goal, underestimating your opponent... that caused you to lose."

"My _goal_ was within sight", Xao snarled, standing up, the pain in his leg being ignored by the pure rage he felt. "A good for_ nothing_, snot nosed, accursed brat like _you_ would NEVER understand! IF I CAN'T HAVE REN'S HEART, THEN YOURS WILL BE JUST AS GOOD!" He attempted to stab Tenmei, but the predictability of the move allowed even Hikari and Yumi, who couldn't see that well over the aura of darkness that Xao had surrounded himself with, to know what would happen before it even did.

Tenmei merely dodged. Not even something fancy, he merely twisted his stomach a bit, narrowly dodging the blade, before striking up at Xao's arm, leaving a nasty gash with his weapon. He then kicked again, knocking Xao away. "Your taunts will not work, Xao. Not this time." He held his reunited blade up again, glaring forward. "The only thing I hate more than you right now? Myself... for letting you remove his heart. Nothing you say can top how I feel about failing my people yet again."

"Then. Let. Me. End. That. Pain!" Xao breathed, weakened to the point where he could no longer shout, though he stumbled forward, attempting to raise his keyblade-like sword, but his arm was shaking and he could hardly muster the strength to move.

"Do you ever shut up?"

The new voice startled them all, who looked at the space between Tenmei and Xao with widened eyes. A figure appeared suddenly, wearing nothing but a pair of white pants, and black boots. He opened his eyes, revealing the same chartreuse yellow eyes that Ren had taken when he entered Dark Surge, which he brushed long, white hair out of to stare at Xao with anger. To the surprise of them all, the newcomer held what looked like the dark half of Twilight's Balance in his right hand, the blade tip pointed right at Xao's heart.

Xao looked at the figure with a mixture of emotions, but the one that showed the most was bewilderment at the appearance of the tan skinned individual. "I... did not foresee this. I knew if you became a heartless, you would be powerful... but with your mind still in tact, humanoid in appearence, and still able to wield your keyblade... what kind of being are you, to do what not even Xehanort could do?"

"This isn't a real body", the figure stated, looking down at himself. "I am still just half a heart, after what you did to me. The strength of my darkness is what is allowing me to assume a human like form... but like all heartless, all I am right now is a manifested heart surrounded by darkness."

"R-Ren?", Hikari croaked, unable to believe what she was seeing.

Xao then backed away, a dark corridor appearing behind him. "I have lost this fight... I cannot defeat Tenmei or you as you are... consider this your victory, boys, but I will get what I want. One way, or another." And with that, he had vanished into the abyss of shadows.

At the disappearance of Xao, Tenmei allowed his surge to fade, dismissing his keyblade. He looked over to the Heartless that came to his aid, but he did not look happy. If anything... he looked rather morose. He looked away from Ren, unable to bear looking at the face of his friend. "I... I'm sorry", he said softly. "This... this is all my fault..."

The heartless of Ren only glanced over at Tenmei with an emotionless expression, only to acknowledge to the boy that he had heard him. "If you want to apologize to me, then help me restore myself."

Yumi stepped up next, looking to the two of them. "R-right... we'll go, too. It'll be easier if it's the four of us, right?" She looked back at Hikari, who had not yet moved. "Sis? We can help Ren! Come on, it's okay!"

Ren looked at Hikari for only a brief moment, a sudden flash of what felt like emotions rising within him for a second, knowing exactly what the blonde was thinking in that moment of time. "No, Yumi", Ren stated.

"Wh-what?" she stammered, surprised. "But, R-Ren-"

"No... he's right, Yumi", Tenmei stated. "This... is something we need to do... alone."

"But why?!" She stated loudly, looking about ready to cry again. "W-We just got you back, Tenmei... why can't we help you?! Why do you keep pushing us away?!"

"It's not necessarily him pushing you away from us right now, Yumi," Ren muttered, looking away from Hikari at that moment. "Besides, I am a heartless now. My darkness will only affect you two in my current condition if I am around you for too long, and I don't want you to go through that. Tenmei is used to the darkness, so he can come with me, but for you two the best thing to do is to... stay away."

Tenmei gave a sigh. "Besides... even if you could come with us... would you want to?" he asked, looking at Hikari as he said that. "Even with your help... I couldn't help as much as I wished. You were right... I do not deserve your trust." He looked at his hand. "I do not deserve my title... or my keyblade. I... I must atone for the hurt, the despair I put you all through. And if Ren is willing to allow me to help him... I think that might be a good first step."

Hikari said nothing for a good minute, Yumi looking between her and the boys in agony, just awaiting what her sister could possibly say right now. Finally, she gave a sigh, looking at Tenmei first. "Atone then. Perhaps then we can talk..." She then turned to Ren's heartless, tears beginning to swell up, threatening to fall. "I'm sorry... but... I hate the darkness, and the Heartless, more than anything. I can't stand seeing you like this... even if I could come, I... don't want to."

"I understand", Ren said, nodding a bit. "Stick with Sora. We still have a timeline to keep on track."

Yumi gave a sniffle, and stepped back to walk with Hikari. The two girls began to leave... when she stopped once more. With a shake of her head, she suddenly turned, rushing the two and grabbing Tenmei in a tight hug. The prince only stiffened under her grip, not sure how to react as the embrace took him completely by surprise.

"I don't care what you think of yourself", she said softly, so only he could hear. "You're still... my prince." And with that, she let go, facing away quickly so he wouldn't see the tears streaming down her cheeks. She rejoined Hikari, holding her shield up over her lower face, trying to hide her now rosy, puffy cheeks as she silently sobbed.

The sisters left the room and shut the door behind them. Ren looked after them for a few moments, before suddenly movement caught his attention. He turned, a figure approaching from a broken off corner of the room, and only once he got closer did the two see that it was Shun, who was injured greatly.

"I... don't remember doing that much damage to you", Ren stated, looking at him once over.

Shun only gave a chuckle at that, "Word of advice. Don't go to the Realm of Darkness without a weapon... course as a heartless now, you might not be in that bad of shape."

Tenmei immediately moved, wrapping his arm around Shun to support him. "Easy... I got you", he said, helping the boy over. "Now... care to explain what happened? How did you get out so fast?"

"I-I saw a bright light", Shun muttered, squinting as he tried to remember the exact details. "I think it was... a half of a heart. It lead me to a corridor, I'm guessing it was one of the ones Xao used, but somehow it was still active..."

Tenmei gave a soft sigh. "Ren's other half..." He shook his head. "We'll have to focus on that later." He looked over to the heartless, quirking an eyebrow. "Do you think Shun could be helpful? I can heal him, but... I'm not so sure I want to trust anything he says right now." He looked over at the boy, his words still echoing even now. "I don't take kindly to those badmouthing their king."

"H-hey, when did I do that!?" Shun asked, flabbergasted. "Last thing I remember saying to you guys was that it was too late to stop what is fated... course I'm still here so that proves fate is bullshit."

At that, Tenmei sighed. "Xao... of course." He gave a sigh, focusing on his light powers as he began to heal Shun. "My... apologies... I should have been a better teacher." He gave a scowl, feeling his self-loathing rise even more. "I can't seem to do anything right by any of you..."

Shun huffed at that, almost wanting to punch Tenmei. "Speak for yourself... you didn't go crazy with depression after finding out that you are a replica of a mad-man who tore apart your world, join said man thinking that you have no choice but to serve him because you are said replica, only to get some sense knocked back into you by your best friend and sent into a dark void, then saved by said best friend's light half."

Tenmei blinked at that. The wordy description was not expected, and for the second time, he let out a startled chuckle. This time, though, he let himself laugh, glad for the moment. "Good point... though... I did try to break Ren's arms so bad he wouldn't be able to come anywhere near here... if I had been any further in the Darkness, I probably would have torn them off..."

"Well, we both got some ass-kissing to do then", Shun muttered, looking at Tenmei. "Though... gotta admit that's messed up, bro."

"That's what happens when you say 'screw balance' and go for broke, betting on Darkness to help you", Tenmei said, finishing what he could. "There... you should be able to move easier." He then looked at Ren, sighing. "So... what's our plan?"

"First, we need to get out of here, before Sora and the girls get back to lock the final Keyhole", Ren explained to them both. "Afterwards, we'll start tracking down my Nobody. If I am theorizing this correctly, I've literally been split into two, so logically he should be half of me and seeking me out right now as well... though I will admit, what parts of me he might have gotten scare me a bit."

Tenmei looked at the heartless, noting how no-nonsense he was, and soon began to pale a bit. "Oh... no..."

XxXxXxX

"Well, that was fun", a black haired boy was muttering to himself, his arms draped back and his hands on the back of his head as he walked, his cerulean eyes focused on the woodlands that were lying ahead of him. "That dark and moody side of me owes me big time for reuniting him with Shun... kinda wish he could come with me instead, but I get the feeling he's gonna need all the help he can get... or, rather, I need all the help I can get? ...ugh, this is confusing."

The Nobody stopped, looking down at his outfit and frowning a bit. "Had to be literal, huh? I'm literally wearing what I was when I got stabbed, but the black is white, and the white is black. Geez, what is with the Light and wanting to mess with me? Look, just because half of me is Darkness, it doesn't mean you should be that way!"

He sighed again, and continued his walk, humming happily to himself before coming to the old mansion that they had stayed in once before. He smirked, looking up at the tattered building with interest. "Wonder if there's any food still left over so that I can eat before Shun, Tenmei and my other half get here..." Suddenly, however, he felt a presence behind him, and quickly muttered to himself "oh, gotta act like a Nobody actually would", before turning to the figure with a blank stare, focusing on his shoes.

"Your presence here is most unforeseen, but not entirely unwanted", a voice that Ren's light half knew as Xemnas spoke. Resisting the urge to snort at the fact that his name could be anagrammed to 'man sex', he listened to Xemnas as he spoke. "You will not have an official place within our rankings, but it seems that you are just like Roxas was when I found him... emotionless, empty of memories, and perfect for my taking."

That's what you think, the light Nobody couldn't help but think, but remained expressionless. But this is perfect! Instead of reforming myself, I can use my Nobody body to gain knowledge on the Organization and how it could be affected by Xao being in this timeline! And with them, I can get stronger so when I do become Ren again, it'll be like twice as strong due to the experiences I get as both a heartless and a nobody! Oh, Tenmei will be so proud of this plan, I just know it!

"Now, a name", Xemnas waved his hand, and a giant X with the letters of Ren's name appeared. It didn't change all the much, the X only splitting the Re and N apart, spelling out 'Rexn'. "From now on, you shall be called Rexn!"

Aww man, I wanted something cooler... still, at least it's not something stupid like Renx or Nexr, the newly dubbed Rexn thought, but on the outside he kept his expression as blank as possible. "Rexn..."

"Come, Rexn", Xemnas said, placing a hand on the shoulder of the Twilight Keyblader's nobody and guiding him into the same dark corridor he had appeared from. "Your new home awaits..."

I hope I get a room with a good view!

XxXxXxX

"Yumi? Are you okay?"

The redhead stared out the window, watching as Hollow Bastion faded from sight. With the heartless swarming the world after Ansem, the seeker of Darkness, made his play for Kairi's heart, they were forced to retreat with Sora, Donald, Goofy and Kairi. Currently, Hikari was standing to the side, watching the space go by, already fuming thanks to what happened with Tenmei. At the second calling of her name, she turned, seeing Kairi was staring at her. "Are you okay?"

Yumi gave a soft smile. "Yeah... I'm good... I..." She looked back to the old world, the smile fading. "I just... didn't want to say goodbye..."

Kairi frowned, not liking that answer. "You're crying."

It was only when the Princess of Heart said that did Yumi notice. A single tear had trailed down her cheek, and she hastily wiped it away. "Ugh... I've been doing that so much, I don't even notice anymore..." she muttered, sniffling a bit. She looked over at Kairi, giving a gentle sigh. "I... need time to think. Could you leave me alone, please?"

Kairi only nodded, obviously still worried but leaving her be. Yumi glanced at her right hand, clenching her fingers as her gauntlet clinked a bit. Then she looked at her small, circular shield, seeing a bit of her reflection in the metal.

_I'm stronger than this_, she said, staring at herself. _If I kept being strong... I could've helped more. I could've stopped Tenmei from hurting Ren... and I could've done something to help them win that fight. But I keep crying... I keep letting the past hurt me._ She thought about her parents, and knew they had done what they did to protect her and Hikari growing up. She wished she could return the favor, but knew they'd prefer that she lived, even if they fell to the darkness. What would they think, seeing her crying like this all the time?

_No more tears_, she thought to herself. She looked back out to the space. _Tenmei... Ren... Shun... I will see you again... and next time, I'll be your shield._


	12. Recompletion Progress

Tenmei let out a low hum, taking the soft eraser in hand and rubbing out a mistake he had made. But it was necessary; his sketching had improved in the time he had been living with both Shun and Ren's Heartless (though, to make it easier on him, he simply called the heartless "Ren" at times). It had been quite some time since he had even thought of his hobby, and he was pleasantly surprised to see his talent had not been taken away in the time his training to be Prince began.

Currently, he had taken to sketching everyone in their party. Starting simply with Donald and Goofy, he continued on, sketching almost every iteration of Sora that he could think of, though he remembered best the keyblade warrior's first, primarily red outfit. Then he took his time to sketch out the resident replica, Shun, and finally, took to working on Ren's likeness, both in human and heartless form. Now, he was working on his memory to recreate Hikari, making sure to try and put her in as flattering a pose as possible, one that exhumed her femininity as well as her power. He was certain it wasn't perfect, but he continued anyway while he waited for news about the wayward Nobody.

The three boys had waited patiently for Ren's Nobody to come to them, but when some time had passed, they realized something was wrong. So, Tenmei, being the one most aware of their financial situation, easily found a way for them to sustain themselves while they scouted and waited. Of course, being the only warrior without a weapon, a punishment he had imposed upon himself, Tenmei was often the one left behind. Hence the interest in art once more.

The door to said residence opened at that point, and Tenmei looked up. Two figures with Organization XIII cloaks, with the hood up, came sauntering into the room, and normally one would flinch just seeing the cloak and knowing what it stood for, but Tenmei knew it was Ren's Heartless and Shun. Shun lowered his hood first, looking at Tenmei directly. "We got a problem..." he simply said, looking a bit sheepish.

Tenmei let out a light scoff, closing his sketchbook and looking at the two of them. "I'm assuming your hypothesis was correct and Xemnas got to him first... if that's the case, what else did you find out?"

Ren lowered his hood next, displaying the first hint of emotion Tenmei ever had seen in the boy since he had become a heartless. "He's going on missions for the organization... but why, I am not sure. He is half of me, so unless he _somehow_ lost his memories, he wouldn't willingly join them unless he had a good reason to... I mean, I get that Xemnas is strong and he wouldn't have been able to take him out on his own, but it seems like he's _willingly_ working along side them. I saw him with a girl member not too long ago, but sadly I couldn't approach... get this, _she's_ a Keyblade Wielder too! And not just a normal one either, she had Kingdom Key!"

At that, Tenmei sat up a bit straighter, eyebrow quirked. "Kingdom Key? But... only Roxas could use that!" Then, before either boy could agree with that, he suddenly blinked, thinking back to the old stories he read. "Wait... a girl... with the Kingdom Key... it might be..." He then looked back to them. "What was the color of her hair? Blonde? Black?"

"It was black", Shun explained, sensing the tension drop from Tenmei and looking at him eagerly, thinking that he knew something. "She kinda looks like Kairi too, if that makes sense..."

Tenmei gave a sigh. "Xion... oh, boy, I was not looking forward to this. I straight up hoped we wouldn't be involved with her, but... I guess our little _friend_ decided to get involved in her life." He stood up, drawing a black-and-white sketch of Kairi quick, though made her hair a bit shorter and shaded it completely with his pencil, before holding it up. "This girl... she shares more in common with you right now, Shun. She's the very first replica that, eventually, becomes her own person."

Shun blinked a bit, "Huh... don't remember that part of the history lessons... but then again, it _was_ my worst subject."

"But why would he... or rather, _I_, get involved with her?", Ren muttered, glaring at Shun with a 'that isn't the point' type of look. "I mean, I get if he didn't have a choice but to go on missions with her, but this seemed... different... I just couldn't approach, cause... ya know."

"Well, I have no idea either", Tenmei stated with a shrug. "And obviously, Shun being a dark user, would have a hard time approaching as well. However..." He gave a sigh, unsure of how to bring up the fate of Xion. "... I might be able to get close. Perhaps, if your nobody recognizes me, he'll be willing to share why he joined the Organization?"

_Plus, I might be able to warn him about what happens to her so that he can break it off before he gets too invested_, the prince thought. He remembered shedding a tear, learning of what happened to the poor girl.

Ren nodded at that, "Then I shall bring you to him tomorrow. I can't see me getting close to him right now due to her presence, but you might have a chance."

So it was planned, and the next day, at noon, Ren and Tenmei used a dark corridor to transport to where the nobody was. Due to Ren being a heartless now, he had the ability to sense the Keyblade like a magnet, and with two usually going on missions at the same time, it was almost as if he was sucked to the location against his will. Tenmei stepped out of the dark corridor, looking around and frowning, finding them on Wonderland.

"Of course they had to come here", Tenmei muttered, wearing a cloak of his own for this mission. He had borrowed Shun's, since Ren, right now, had little in the clothing department for himself, and after raising the hood, he began following them, waiting for the opportune moment to catch the nobody's attention. He watched their interaction closely, and could see that they seemed to get along rather well.

_This is going to be harder than I thought_, he said to himself, before finally getting his chance. He soon made his presence known, bringing his fingers to his lips and letting out a shrill whistle, waiting for Ren's Nobody to spot him. Eventually, the nobody had done so, but unfortunately so had Xion. She took a few steps forward, summoning Kingdom Key, but Ren's other half put his hand on her shoulder and smiled reassuringly. "It's ok... I can sense his heart. I know who that is... look, you go on and destroy the group of heartless ahead, I'll be with you in a moment."

"Are you sure?" Xion asked, looking at the boy concerned.

"Promise, and you know how I am about those", he said confidently, grinning from ear to ear. The girl couldn't help but smile, dismissing her weapon and nodding before walking off. The nobody looked after her for a few moments, before turning to Tenmei and running up to him as if he was seeing a friend for the first time in years. "Tenmei! Oh man, am I so glad to see you! I gotta admit, I was hoping you'd find me first instead of Mr. Darkness."

Tenmei blinked under his hood, taken by surprise. _ I'm not sure if I like Edgy Ren or Goofy Ren better..._ "And what do I call you? I'm sure you prefer it if I don't just label you as 'Ren's Nobody' all the time."

"Well, Xemnas named me Rexn", the boy explained. "And that is what Roxas, Axel and Xion- oh, she's the girl you just saw. They call me that too, so you can as well!"

"... Right", Tenmei said, resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Okay, Rexn, I'll get right to business." He grabbed Rexn's collar, throwing off his own hood as his red eyes glared into the nobody's cerulean gaze. "Why didn't you come back to be recompleted right away?!"

Rexn, despite the threatening glare Tenmei was giving him, only continued to smile as if nothing was wrong. "Oh, oh! I was _hoping_ you'd ask and I am sure you'll love this! Okay, so Xao is all evil and stuff, right?" At Tenmei's bewildered, 'you've gotta be kidding me' expression, Rexn took that as a cue to keep going. "Well, I thought that he'd try and get into the Organization to mess with it all evil like, so I thought that if I planted myself in there, I could be your super secret spy and once me and Emo Boy merge back, we can have all this top secret information and stuff! Plus, since we're two separate people, merging will grant us twice the strength! Like we trained for two years instead of one! Pretty sweet plan, huh?"

Tenmei's eyebrow twitched at all of that. After filtering out all the goofy labels and processing exactly what Rexn said, he let the nobody go, finally giving in to temptation and firmly pinching the bridge of his nose. "Ugh... alright, I see where you're going with this. Info on any of Xao's doing, and plus, any strength you gain will go towards Ren getting stronger when you do, eventually, recomplete. That is a big plus. But..." At that, he pointed to where Xion was. "Why are you spending your time with _her_? You are aware she's Sora's replica, right? And she's not going to survive this encounter with the Organization!"

Rexn suddenly got a serious look on his face, and his goofy voice came out as if he was Ren himself. "All the more reason to make these 358 days the best she's ever had, right?"

At that, Tenmei paused, blinking. He looked at Rexn with a genuinely surprised gaze... though it did slowly become one of pity. "And what will you do when her time comes? You can't tell me that you would risk ruining the timeline should you decide you'd rather save your friend instead of letting her fade away? Your memories of her will vanish, as well."

Rexn gave pause at that, actually stunned silent. He had not expected himself to grow attached to Xion, but already he found himself enjoying the time he was spending with her. With a heavy sigh, he looked at Tenmei. "I-I will not get attached", he lied, though the quirked eyebrow told the Nobody he didn't believe him. "And once that happens, Roxas will defect and fight Riku, and that is when I'll rejoin you guys." He quickly changed the subject at that point, "Oh, Xao's already tried something! Though Xemnas shot him down... I guess that the reason I am in the Organization in the first place is to make up for the lost hearts that Xao is taking, so I'm also kinda correcting history the Xao is messing up as well! Anyway, if anything too serious happens, I'll signal you guys right away, ok?"

Tenmei looked into Rexn's eyes. He knew that something was up. He was tempted to play on Ren's stubbornness for promises and force Rexn into one of his own, but he decided against that - the boy had enough on his plate already. "Very well. We'll be in touch, then." He turned away, starting to walk off, before pausing, looking back towards Rexn. "Oh, by the way... the minute that I feel anything off about my memories - the minute I start to forget her name... we will come for you if you choose not to return home immediately."

"Yeah, sure", Rexn grinned, once again returning to his goofy attitude. "So, where is that anyway?"

"Hollow Bastion, for the time being", Tenmei said. "I'm thinking we'll try to negotiate with DiZ, find some temporary arrangements in the mansion at Twilight Town, if we can." He pulled his hood up over his head. "Now... be a good boy, Rexn, and don't get into too much trouble."

"I mean, I am 'working' for the bad guys, so that's unavoidable... but I'll do my best", he cheerily said, waving at Tenmei before racing off to where Xion was watching their conversation from a distance, a concerned look on the Sora clone's face.

"What was that about?" Xion asked, as soon as Rexn had caught up to her.

"Old teacher I had when I was a somebody", Rexn explained, though he gave pause when he thought back to their entire conversation, but shook it off to grin at Xion. "Come on! Let's go complete our mission so we can relax!"

Tenmei, in the meanwhile, merely opened another corridor, finding his way back to their house. He soon pulled off the coat, throwing it back to Shun as he stepped into the living room, where Ren was waiting. "Well... he decided to spy on the Organization to see if Xao would try anything with them... according to him, our enemy made contact but was rejected by Xemnas."

"Not surprising since Xemnas wants to do things his way", Ren growled, though he did not look happy. "But why not rejoin now!? It doesn't make any sense! The Organization will be just fine... I'm sure Xao can't really do much, and since he wants one of us, not a half-a-heart-nobody, he won't even bother... guess I got the logical side of us..."

"Well, he did come up with a good argument, surprisingly", Tenmei explained. "If he keeps training while he works with them, he'll gain strength that'll only be added to you when you do become one again. On top of that, Xao's little rampage is weakening Xemnas' Kingdom Hearts, so him working with the Organization is correcting history to how it should be. Although..." At this, he lowered his head a bit. "... he has become close to Xion, from what I could tell. And I don't have the heart to try and rip him away from her... especially not with what'll happen at the end of this year."

"That can go one of two ways", Shun muttered, shaking his head a bit as he placed the cloak back on. "Either he will rejoin us willingly, but Ren will get the depression from losing Xion... or he's going to rebel, and Ren will get the depression from losing Xion..."

"I can handle whatever depression I have for a-", Ren was about to say replica, but the fact that Shun was on stopped him. "For a Sora-clone." Shun snorted at that, which Ren was grateful for. "I'm more worried about _him_... it's clear he did not inherit the emotional attachments we have for our friends." Shun raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing.

Tenmei gave a sigh. "Well, it's in his hands now. We'll just have to be ready for whatever we face. As for now, though... I think it's time we make ourselves known to DiZ. If the timing is right, Sora has been put under in Castle Oblivion, and since I didn't see Roxas anywhere, I'm assuming he's in a coma. If we make it seem like we can be useful allies, I'm certain he'll let us in on not only Sora's recovery, but Hikari and Yumi's as well, so we can be sure he doesn't mess with the girls while they're in his care."

Ren nodded at that, thinking that whatever his... his... "Hey, what's his Organization name anyway? Xemnas names all his members anagrams of their old names with an 'X' due to his obsession with the x-blade, so what's his?"

Tenmei let out a snort. "It's 'Rexn'."

Ren scowled at that, "Seriously...? Ugh whatever. Well, at least maybe seeing Hikari will prevent whatever 'depression' I can get from Rexn losing Xion to break me once we are recomplete... I hope..."

XxXxXxX

"...normally, I do not accept help like this, and I do have Riku assisting me right now... however, I shall make an exception."

Tenmei gave a short nod. "Alright then... what would you need us to do?"

"Ren and Shun will be heading out, keeping tabs on the Organization and the worlds they visit", the mummified man said, looking over to the Heartless and the Replica. "I believe they're best suited for this, since they are always prepared for combat." He then looked over at Tenmei, who looked down at his hands morosely. "However, from what I understand... you are a keyblade wielder as well, and yet you have not summoned yours in quite some time. Care to explain this?"

Tenmei looked up at DiZ, glaring a bit. "It's personal, but... this is my punishment for allowing my friends to be hurt and broken like this", he stated. "I am not worthy of my title, nor am I worthy of my keyblade. So, for this, I must atone. I am certain you understand this desire, do you not, _DiZ_?"

At the emphasis on his name, the older man let out a low chuckle, before nodding. "I certainly can. Very well... I will rely on you to defend Sora and his friends while they slumber. I am certain Naminé would appreciate the company, and she'll fill you in on the... roadblock she seems to have come to."

Although he knew the reason for this "roadblock", Tenmei only nodded, getting up and heading for the lab, looking forward to seeing their friends... even if only their faces, seeing as their bodies were obscured by the pods they were resting in.

Several days passed since the meetings with Rexn and DiZ, and Tenmei only got company for short bursts by Ren's heartless and Shun, who filled him in occasionally on the Organizations movements and what was occurring with the outside world. His constant company was Naminé, who was usually too busy with Sora to be much of a conversationalist. Once again, sketching became what he passed his time with, finishing his rendition of the mighty mage, Hikari.

Now, he focused on Yumi. He remembered seeing her several times during their travels, and she usually bore one of two expressions, for whatever reason; that proud, happy grin whenever she did something worthy of praise or whenever Hikari or Ren made her laugh... or that timid, flustered look that she tried to hide behind her shield. Both depictions made it onto the paper, but so did so much more. He drew all the expressions he recalled and paid extra attention to all the details he could remember; the way her cheeks puffed up when she got mad at him, the tears in her eyes as she cried for not only the horrible moments he put her through but also for the nightmares she endured, remembering the age they had escaped from. He remembered the few times he caught her blushing, and how hastily she would cover her eyes with her hands, trying to play it off as something else, like it being too warm or saying he caught her by surprise.

He found himself thinking of her a lot as he waited, and knew his feelings had grown for her. He had never experienced love before, but the word had been mentioned several times in the books he read as a child. Perhaps this was what he felt for her? He wasn't sure. All he knew was that he could not wait for the day that she awoke. How would she react if he told her how he felt for her? How would he even put it into words?

He was finishing yet another sketch, this time of Sora's keyblade, when the sound of a dark corridor opening nearby.

"We got a major issue", the heartless' voice came even before he emerged from the darkness. "The girl has fallen... and Rexn isn't coming to either here, or the place we have in Hollow Bastion."

At that, Tenmei perused his memories. He knew of which girl Ren spoke of, but for whatever reason, her name wouldn't come to mind. He gave a nod. "More likely than not... he might be heading for Castle That Never Was", he stated, standing up. "We'll have to act fast. Thankfully, I did have time to draw up a map of the city on that world... if you can point me to which route he might be taking, I can cut him off with a barrier."

Ren nodded, the dark corridor still open behind him. "Then let's move... we don't have much time."


	13. A Clash of Light and Dark

Neoshadows were swarming the entire area of The World That Never Was, like a cockroach infestation at an empty house that was abandoned years ago, but this only added the the targets that Rexn had as he raced through the world, slicing everything that stood in his way. Light energy surrounded him, showing his righteous fury. The neoshadows did not stand a chance, falling to the light half of Twilight's Balance faster than he could run, but he did not care about that. He only had a single goal, and nothing was going to stand in his way to achieving that goal... to get her heart back.

_Xion..._ Her name was continuously being thought by Rexn, as well as her face. He had to remember her, despite the memories that he had of her threatening to slip away quicker as the moments went by. He had to hurry, as he was scared that the more time he delayed, the less likely he would even remember why he was here in the first place.

Suddenly, a barrier of light erected itself mere feet away from him, barring his path forward. Gritting his teeth from underneath his hood in frustration, he rounded the corner and started sprinting up another alleyway, though when he attempted to turn right, another barrier had appeared. His frustrations grew as he was forced to go left, away from where Roxas probably was, but he knew who had cast the barrier, and with only half of his complete power at his side, he stood no chance at getting past it.

Finally, he found himself in a large, open section of the world, where Neoshadows had swarmed in such large numbers that they were almost engulfing him. He roared in anger, slicing through each and every one of them, as he watched barrier after barrier appear, blocking his way out. Finally, the last bunch of Neoshadows were eliminated, and only a single figure stood with him in the boxed off area.

Ren's heartless.

"Move", Rexn growled, glaring at Ren with anger. "I do not want to destroy you."

Ren raised an eyebrow at that, "And why are you acting this way now? You told us that once you were done with your mission of spying on the Organization, you would rejoin us... or did you forget that too?"

Rexn growled at that, but did not move to attack. "I... I have to get her back!"

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Ren asked, actually wondering what exactly the light half of him had in mind. "She's gone... she had no heart so-"

"She _did_ have a heart!" Rexn shouted, suddenly realizing that he could no longer recall her name, only her face. This was not good, he was running out of time. "I sensed it! You can sense it too, can't you? She's within Roxas! If I can just get to him I can-"

"Destroy him?" Ren asked, showing some rare anger at the fact that Rexn was thinking of going through with it. "You damn well know that we cannot change the history more than we already have. She is to vanish, and we cannot change that."

Rexn hissed in frustration, but then he actually changed his tactic, staring at his opponent with a pained plea in his gaze. "Please... I beg you. Just let me get her heart... we can keep it with us until it's time to bring her back..."

For a split second, Ren actually considered saying yes to the request. He could feel the pain that the light half of his heart was currently feeling within Rexn, the attachment that he had to her, and it almost flowed into him as well. However, the logical side of him took back over, and he shook his head. "We cannot. She belongs with Sora and that is where she will stay... if she is meant to come back, she will... but we cannot interfere..."

Rexn's lips twisted into a snarl as he shifted his stance, raising the light half of Twilight's Balance onto Ren. "Then... you will be removed from my path... once I get her heart, I will destroy myself so we can be recompleted... her heart with us..."

Ren glared, summoning the dark half of the keyblade, saying nothing. They faced off for a moment, before they flew at one another, slicing and attacking with fury. Meanwhile, Tenmei and Shun were looking on from above, staring down at the fighting below, watching with both concern and interest.

"Who'd ever thought we'd see two Ren's fight one another", Shun muttered. "Honestly, this is crazy!"

"At this point, I think we're a little too used to seeing crazy things", Tenmei pointed out. "If this'll help bring some normalcy back to our lives, I'll take it." He felt his hand tingle, itching to summon Twilight's Guardian to help his friend... but he had promised not to interfere unless he absolutely had to. "... besides... this, along with your return, will help smooth things over with Hikari... at least she won't hate me as much."

Rexn was striking with absolutely no remorse. He didn't even care if the opponent he currently had was supposed to be him, he only kept imagining the face of the girl he no longer remembered the name of, only knowing that he had to get her back. Meanwhile, Ren was trying to hold back a bit so that he could find a way to end them both at the same time, which ironically enough was making them even since Rexn was distracted by his own memories and emotions. Finally, it happened. Rexn had gotten a hit in, hitting Ren right in the leg, sending him backwards. He then grunted as he trust his blade forward, pointed directly at the chest of his heartless opponent.

And Ren had done the same motion.

All Tenmei and Shun saw at first was the light half of Twilight's Balance sticking out of the heartless' back. They gasped with pain and shock, before suddenly realizing that they only got half the image. Rexn also had a blade through his chest, sticking right out of his back, the nobody gasping in pain and looking at the blade with shock.

"I... only... wanted her back", Rexn gasped in pain, a tear rolling down his cheek. "She... she..."

"And I told you before,_ if_ she is meant to return... we will see her again...", Ren muttered, grinning through the intense pain he was feeling. "Together, as one..."

Rexn actually laughed a bit at that, smiling as he felt the sincere comment coming from the heartless. "She... likes ice cream..."

And with that, the two halves of Ren vanished back into hearts, before beginning to swirl around one another. Instead of going into Xemnas' Kingdom Hearts, the barrier spell made sure that they stayed put, and soon enough the swirl of light and dark energy became a single, grey flash of energy, before revealing Ren's complete form, wearing an Organization XIII cloak, and looking much taller then he did before. He had grown a bit, and his face was more mature. The Twilight Keyblader grit his teeth a bit, staggering on his feet as he rubbed the side of his head.

"I... need a moment..." Ren muttered in pain. "I just experienced a single year as two separate people, so... yeah major brain ache."

Tenmei let out a light chuckle, lowering the square barrier he had formed. "Go ahead and say hi", he told Shun. As the replica jumped down, he shouted after him. "I'll make sure no heartless get near you right now!"

"How you feeling, man?" Shun asked, looking concerned at his friend.

"Both of my sides are idiots", Ren hissed, though he stood up within time, sighing. "Though since they're me... I guess that makes me an idiot too... man, it's been a crazy year, huh?" He then summoned the two sides of Twilight's Balance, before merging them back together, smirking at the blade. "That's better."

Shun chucked a bit, patting Ren on the back before turning to the approaching Tenmei and nodding. "Alright, he's good to go!"

"Good", Tenmei stated, firing a small bolt of light and instantly killing a Neoshadow. "Then let's get out of here. The reunited keyblade might be stirring the heartless up here, and I'd rather be back in Twilight Town when everyone finally wakes up."

Ren nodded as both Tenmei and Shun walked forward, though when he moved to follow after them he felt something within his left pocket. He paused for a moment, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a single Thalassa Shell, laying it in the palm of his hand. Looking at the shell caused a sudden spike in emotion, and a single tear ran down his cheek. Stunned, Ren wiped the tear suddenly away, wondering where that had come from.

"Ren!" Shun shouted from ahead of him, already standing near a dark corridor. "Hurry up, will ya!"

Ren nodded, pocking the Thalassa Shell again before running after Shun, putting the emotions that he suddenly felt behind him for now.

XxXxXxX

The three warriors emerged from the portal in front of DiZ, who merely looked up for a brief moment to see who had appeared. "Ah, Ren. I am glad to see you have returned to your true form. I bet it is nice to be complete again."

Ren nodded, "Yeah, feels good."

"Better then being a _nobody_, that's for sure", DiZ muttered. Ren clenched his fist, glaring at DiZ at the comment, but quickly once again suppressing the emotions that had risen within him. "Now, we must make haste. Sora is regaining his memories again since Roxas is within my virtual Twilight Town. The memories he stole from Sora are beginning to return to him, so we should have him back soon, along with his friends. Ren, Shun, I will need you two to make sure nothing happens to Roxas. I fear that the other members of the Organization might be looking for him soon."

"Without a doubt", Tenmei stated. "I guess I'll return to my post in Sora's chamber. Ren, Shun... let me know if you need help, alright?"

"Of course", Ren nodded, though unlike his past self he did not smile, almost as if he had changed within the year that he spent split. The two friends turned towards the machine that would virtualize them, and Ren sighed. "Great... going to be digitized... gonna love this." With that, the two entered and were beamed into the world, disappearing before Tenmei's very eyes.

Once they were both gone, however, was when Tenmei let his face twist into a scowl, and he approached DiZ from behind. He held up one hand, an orb of light forming, and while he didn't turn, DiZ could feel the heat behind him. "Word of caution, _DiZ_... I may not like the Organization, but there is nothing wrong with Nobodies. Especially not Roxas, Naminé or Rexn. If you insult them again, I will not remain silent."

"And a word of advice to you, Tenmei", DiZ countered, not threatened at all by the prince. "I am the only one that can get your friends back, so I advise that if you want them, you might not want to threaten me again."

Tenmei lowered his hand, though he smirked. "And one more to you... you're terrible at bluffing", he stated, starting to walk back to Sora's room. "You need Sora back, just as much as we do."

"A fair point", DiZ mentioned, nodding his head to confirm that Tenmei was correct. "But you cannot really threaten a man that hates himself more than anything else."

At that, Tenmei paused, before glancing back, shooting the mummy a look of pity. "Believe me, Ansem... I'm all too aware of that." And with that, the two got back to work, never speaking of this moment again.

When he arrived at the chamber, though, he found his face turning bright red. Naminé had spotted his sketchbook, and was currently flipping through his drawings. With speed he wasn't sure he had before, the prince darted over, snatching the book out of her hands, and quickly threw it to the other side of the room, well out of her reach. The blonde nobody blinked, unsure of what happened, before looking up at Tenmei.

"How much did you see?" Tenmei asked, looking at her with a very panicked expression.

Naminé only smiled, not at all phased. "I saw most of them. You're very talented, Tenmei."

The prince sighed, blushing bright red. "Th-thanks... just... don't tell the others about them, alright? If they're going to know, I'd rather tell them myself."

The blonde gave a playful grin, looking slightly mischievous with her blue eyes. "Really? You sure it's not that you don't want them thinking you have a crush on Yumi? You did sketch more of her than anyone else." At his reaction, Naminé only gave off a giggle. "Don't worry, Tenmei... your secret is safe with me."

"I-it'd better be", the boy stated, walking back to pick up his sketchbook.

"So... what happened to your world?" Namine asked, causing Tenmei to freeze up. "I'm assuming it hasn't been restored, since you three have been splitting your time between Hollow Bastion and here... is it one of the sleeping worlds?"

At that, Tenmei's expression fell. No longer was he flustered or embarrassed... now, he was just sad. "... it's none of your business", he said softly, getting back to his chair. "Just... focus on Sora, please."

As the blonde sighed and nodded, returning to her work, Tenmei stared at his sketchbook once more. Flipping to a new page, he began a new piece, the memories of his old castle beginning to fill his mind.

XxXxXxX

"You really need to cheer up, dude", Shun was muttering, as Ren and the said boy appeared through a dark corridor where Tenmei was. "Seriously, I feel like I'm still with the heartless version of you."

Ren only gave a slight glare at that, before turning back to Tenmei. "It's almost time. Naminé should be almost complete with the restoration of Sora's memories, and Roxas is on the verge of merging with Sora. Once that happens, we can get Sora back and move on... and get out of here. I am _not_ a fan of DiZ, to be honest, and would rather have this contract I have with him terminated sooner then later."

Tenmei looked up from his work, nodding. "I can't agree more, though for different reasons." He brought a hand to his chin. "Despite the few sightings with the Organization, Xao has been... awfully quiet. We need to get back to our mission, finding out what exactly he has been doing and maybe finally learn what his plan is." He looked to the two boys, concern etched into his brow. "I'll ask one last time; are you sure neither of you remember anything else he did? Either while you worked for him, Shun, or while your nobody was at the castle, Ren?"

Shun shook his head, "Like I said before, all he really did was teach me how to control heartless, and have me fight him a lot so that he could eliminate his weakness for physical combat. After that, he sent me to fight Ren and abandoned me."

"And all he did with Xemnas was ask him over and over if he was _sure_ that he didn't want his help", Ren stated, looking a tiny bit irritated that Tenmei had asked this question again. "Xemnas refused every time I saw it happen."

"Great", Tenmei said, sighing. "Then we're just as in the dark as we were when we started... no pun intended." The prince sat up straighter, thinking. "Hearts of Light and Darkness... and the First King's power..." Finally, he shook his head, knowing he didn't have all the pieces. "Well, we'll worry about that later. If I keep focusing on that... I'm likely do something stupid again." He looked at the sketchbook, an extremely detailed depiction of Twilight's Citadel etched onto the pages, before looking back up at the two boys. "Shun... you'll be here with me when everyone wake up. Ren, I need you to speak with Master Yen Sid. Perhaps we can get something set up so the fairies will provide us with some new outfits as well."

Ren and Shun both nodded, with Ren disappearing into a dark portal to warp himself to Yen Sid's place. Meanwhile, Shun was sheepishly rubbing his head in embarrassment. "I am going to get it from Hikari, huh?"

"I'm the reason Ren got turned into a heartless, Shun", Tenmei countered, lightly scolding the boy. "Trust me, she'll be thrilled to see you alive and well... and I need you to protect me should she still be holding a grudge." He looked over at Shun, giving another smirk. "Besides... she'll probably just try to give you the whole 'being a replica doesn't make you any less real' spiel that we gave you before."

"Yeah, yeah... well, leave it to me", Shun grinned. "I'll make sure that she doesn't do anything too crazy!" He then looked over, noticing the sketchbook in Tenmei's hand. "Wait... you draw?"

"...Yes, I did... a long time ago", the prince admitted. He looked back at the book, giving a soft smile. "When you're a prince, you have specific training to go through. Combat, obviously, diplomacy, bartering, economics... the boring stuff most people in power have to learn. But there is also the cultural lessons I had to learn as well." He stood up, taking a few steps of a classical dance. "Ballroom etiquette, poetry, music theory... stuff that was supposed to help expand my horizons, allow me to see the bigger picture. I took to painting and drawing the most... it was my hobby until I turned thirteen. Then my training to become the Prince of Twilight really began, and I had to forego anything that didn't have to do with my keyblade or learning how to use Light and Darkness."

Shun rubbed his head sheepishly again, looking almost like he was repressing a bad thought. "Er... sounds like you had an 'interesting' upbringing."

"Say what you mean, Shun", Tenmei said with a chuckle. "You would have died of boredom if you were in my shoes."

Shun scowled a bit as the thought of Tenmei reading his emotions got to him. "Oh... well, I was just gonna say that your dad didn't have to put you through that... you should have had a normal life like us! You just didn't like it when my 'dad' possessed me and insulted your father so I thought... ya know, that you wouldn't want me saying that like I was insulting the way he brought you up..."

Tenmei paused, thinking about it. He did understand where Shun was coming from. "But... if it's from you, now... I don't mind", Tenmei stated. "It was normal for me, but... after living with you and Ren's heartless for almost a year... I think I have a little more perspective." He gave Shun a friendly smile. "What Xao did while controlling you doesn't effect how I see you, Shun. I forgive you for what you've done. And you shouldn't be afraid to tell me how you feel, if we're going to be traveling together again."

"Right", Shun muttered, embarrassed that he had felt afraid to say what he was thinking. "Well, thanks man, but we might want to get ready. Hikari and Yumi should be waking up at any moment and I think we might wanna brace ourselves for anything."

Tenmei nodded, closing his sketchbook and stuffing it away for the time being. "Right." He stood beside Shun, giving the replica an encouraging smile. "Remember... no matter what, I've got your back now. Deal?"

"Deal, and I got yours, dude", Shun smiled, feeling no longer pressured by being around the prince of his world.


	14. A New Adventure

Surprising the two boys, it wasn't Hikari and Yumi who woke up first, but Donald and Goofy, opening the door and stepping into the room. The two should have expected that, but they were a bit disappointed they had to wait a bit longer for the girls to wake up. When the duck and dog called out to Sora, it only took a few more minutes for the boy to finally come out of his pod, yawning and stretching quite a bit. Of course, he was overjoyed to see his friends again, but like with all things, it didn't last too long.

Mainly because Tenmei was impatient and didn't let them finish getting their bearings.

"Welcome back, guys", he said, catching Sora's attention.

"Oh... Tenmei! When did you get here?" Sora asked, walking over to him. He then noticed Shun, raising a brow. "Who's this?"

"This is Shun", Tenmei introduced, motioning to said teen. "He's a friend... he went missing while we were traveling the world, but thankfully, we found him, safe and sound." Of course, it wasn't as simple as that, but he didn't want Sora poking his nose where it didn't belong.

"Yeah, kinda got 'lost' to put it in a way", Shun muttered, rubbing the back of his head before quickly changing the subject. "Anyway, we should see to Hikari and Yumi waking up, though I... kinda don't wanna see Hikari right away." He hid behind Goofy as he said that, since said dog was the tallest in the room other then Shun and Tenmei themselves.

"And you think I do?" Tenmei countered, pulling Shun back out from behind the dog. "I haven't had a chance to talk to her since our fight with Xao." He then turned to the trio, giving a sheepish smile. "Sora, Donald, Goofy... you guys might want to clear out. I'd recommend checking out the nearby town. Twilight Town is a beautiful world, after all."

"Twilight Town, huh?" Sora said, a glimmer of nostalgia in his eyes for a second. "Well... I guess we will. Better than sitting around, right?" He then frowned. "Will we see you again?"

"Sooner than you think", Tenmei promised, smiling. "Now get, before you're caught in the crossfire."

"I feel like we're missing something", Donald muttered, but he sighed, walking out of the room after Sora and Goofy, who were already on their way. Almost as if on cue, as soon as they left, a sudden noise caught the attention of the two boys, which caused Shun to dart behind Tenmei's back (though he was immediately pushed back into the open by the irritated prince). One of the pods was opening up slowly, and Tenmei knew immediately due to it's placement it was Hikari's. Thanks to her being the oldest, she didn't look that much different then she had been when she was put to sleep. A little taller, defiantly, but her figure didn't change that much. She yawned, stretching a bit before sighing, and jumping down from her slumber pod.

"Don't say a word and she won't see us", Shun whispered in fear.

"She's not a t-rex, Shun, I think she'll spot us even if we don't move", Tenmei muttered back, though he was standing as tall and straight as he possibly could.

At that, Hikari noticed them, looking over with a confused expression on her face. "...Tenmei... Shun?"

"Uh... hey, Hikari", Shun greeted, rubbing the back of his head. "H-how are you?"

Hikari smiled at that, holding her arms out. "Doing great! It's been awhile! Let's hug!" Tenmei narrowed his eyes in suspicion, though Shun seemed to take it in stride. He stepped forward, his arms raised and he walked forward, looking almost blissful at the thought of hugging Hikari...

...only to get smacked in the face before he reached her.

Tenmei winced at the loud sound, glad he didn't make the same mistake as Shun fell on his butt. "Oooh... that's gonna leave a mark..."

"If you ever... _ever_... betray us again, I will use Thunder on you next time", a pissed Hikari shot at him, glaring down at the boy as he winced, holding his cheek in pain. "Understand me?"

"Y-Yes, ma'am", Shun whimpered like a puppy being scolded for doing something wrong.

"And you!" Hikari shouted, pointing to Tenmei.

"Hey, I held up my end of the bargain, so what do you say we call it even?" Tenmei countered, earning a distrustful glare. "Ren's okay, and we even got the bonus of helping Shun get back on his feet... figuratively and literally, I might add."

Hikari raised an eyebrow, before looking around the room, as if expecting a third person to appear out of nowhere. "...where is he?"

"I assume with Yen Sid", Shun came to Tenmei's defense, speaking up as he got back to his feet. "We did ask him to prep the wizard for the bombshells after all. I think Ren would be the most level headed guy to explain our situation, though knowing Yen Sid he'll probably already know everything anyway."

Hikari nodded, before turning to the pod in front of them. Muttering a simple "right" to herself, she stepped forward and with a sudden movement, knocked on the pod. "Oi, sis! Wake up, your boyfriend's here!"

Tenmei raised a brow at that as the pod let out a hiss, unsealing itself. As soon as the pod was fully opened, Hikari's face changed from teasing to shocked, as Yumi's eyes opened slowly. She reached up to stretch... but soon grabbed onto her chest, gasping a bit.

"Of all that is Light and good, why can't I breathe?!" Yumi practically shouted, tugging at her shirt. "And when did this get so... tight...?" Her train of thought completely derailed, as she stared down towards her feet... or at least, as best as she could. Unlike her sister, Yumi managed to hit a "growth spurt", and now instead of the usual athletic build she had before, while her hips and waist stayed almost the same, her bust had grown considerably. Her face turned red as she stared, grabbing onto them a bit. "W-w-what are these? What are they doing here?" She looked over to Hikari, whining a bit. "H-Hikari? I think something's wrong!"

"I'm a C-Cup", Hikari growled in jealously, twitching her eye a bit. "She's at least a D now... HOW!? We're sisters, what the heck is the deal, gene lords!?"

Tenmei's eyes hadn't left Yumi the moment she stepped out of her pod, and for good reason. He quickly covered up his lower face, feeling his cheeks starting to burn as they turned bright red. Not saying anything else, he quickly pirouetted, walking out of the room in a rather rapid fashion, leaving a confused Shun behind.

"Uh, why is Tenmei leaving the room?" Shun asked, looking confused and baffled at what was going on.

"Don't care, too peeved right now", Hikari muttered angrily, grabbing her own chest.

"I don't want these!" Yumi whined, trying to shove her bust back into her body. "I was happy as a B-cup! Go back to that!"

Shun's eye twitched, before he loudly cleared his throat. "Okay, so not to be _that guy_, but we do need to get going. Sora isn't going to stick around here forever, and we do need to catch up to Ren after all. So if this whole 'cup contest' can be put on hold for now, that'd be great!"

The two girls blushed at that, with Yumi finally straightening up, though she was blushing a bit. "Um... before we go... H-Hikari, can you help me with something?"

"What", Hikari snapped, her voice clearly showing signs that she was still jealous as all hell.

Yumi looked at Shun, before pulling her closer so they could whisper. "I-it's hard to breathe in this shirt... what should I do...?"

Hikari stared at her sister with a blank expression for a bit, before grabbing her shirt with two hands, and slightly tearing it a bit down the center, releasing some of the tension on her chest. She then mended the tear instantly, making it look like the shirt was designed that way on purpose. "Okay, let's move. We need to get to Yen Sid asap."

Yumi blushed brightly, not used to exposing this much skin, but thankful for it either way. She soon found herself walking closely behind her sister, shifting back into her 'scared younger sister' mode subconsciously. As they stepped out of the room, they found Tenmei, leaning against the doorframe as he sat on the floor, his hands still covering his face.

"Um... you okay, dude?" Shun asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"I'll c-c-catch up", Tenmei said, his words muffled by his hands. "G-go on without m-me."

Hikari didn't need to be told twice, walking off in irritation as Yumi followed close behind her. Shun looked at Tenmei for a few moments before shrugging, following after Hikari.

The three soon found their way to the station, where Sora was beset by the Nobodies, and he was not faring well, even with Donald and Goofy's help. Yumi, the first to react despite her anxiousness, summoned her shield and gauntlet instinctively, rushing forward and punching the closest Nobody in the face, forcing the Dusk to recoil away from Sora. "We got your back!" she shouted, throwing her shield at another one and catching it after it ricocheted.

Shun and Hikari also rushed forward, getting ready to fight, however it was quickly revealed that they were not needed, as a small figure jumped in and defeated all the nobodies so quickly that they almost blinked and missed it. Once he had landed, Sora and the others noticed a glistening golden keyblade, in the same shape as Sora's own.

"Your Majesty!" Donald and Goofy shouted, stunned at his appearance.

The King shushed them, only turning so they could see his nose. "You need to get out of here... meet up with Ren, the train knows the way... here!" He thrust a orange munny pouch into Sora's hand, before running off to fight more, leaving the six of them baffled in his wake.

At that point, Tenmei had finally arrived onto the scene, just as the King ran by. He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as he approached the group. "You guys okay?" he asked, looking over at Sora and his two friends. "I felt the Nobodies pop up, and started running over, but looks like the King beat me here..."

"Oh yeah, we were just made insignificant, that's all", Shun muttered saltily, placing his gunblade on his back once again.

"You'll get your chance, Shun, don't worry", he stated. The others noticed that he was doing his best not to look over at Yumi, quickly looking elsewhere whenever he started glancing in her direction. "So, I'm assuming we need to take the train, right?"

"Yeah", Sora nodded, confirming his suspicions. "The King gave us the munny we need so I think we are set. Come on, guys! Let's go!"

So after a tearful goodbye to Hayner, Pence and Olette, which was confusing for everyone involved (especially Sora), the six of them boarded the blue/purple train, riding it out of town. The world outside melded from the Twilight glow that the future warriors knew and loved to a starry sky. Shun glanced over at Tenmei on the train, noticing he was finding his shoes very interesting.

"You sure you're okay?" he asked, quirking his eyebrow again.

"Peachy", Tenmei said, though he did not look up. "Just... the sooner we get to Yen Sid's and get new clothes, the better."

Of course, it wasn't that easy in itself. Once they arrived outside, the group ran into a rather large stranger, who was peering into the front entrance of the tower, looking like a child trying to sneak a peek at Santa.

"What's going on here?" Yumi asked, confused.

The figure, hearing her, let out a chuckle. "I sent some of my goons into this here tower", he said. "Heard that the boss here is some kinda powerful wizard. And I thought he sounded like the perfect kind of mook to work for me. 'Course, even if he ain't all that special, it won't matter once he's a Heartless."

At that, Tenmei let a snort out. "Really? Do you even know who's tower this is?"

At that, the figure turned around, sneering in Tenmei's direction. "Does that even matter, you two-bit..." That was when his eyes fell onto Donald and Goofy, and he let out a groan. "It's you two!"

"Pete?!" Sora's pals said unison, staring in shock.

"You know him?" the keyblade warrior asked.

"Sure do", Goofy confirmed, his brow furrowing in concern. "Pete's been causing us trouble fer years. Her Majesty banished him to another dimension... wonder how he got out."

"Ya wanna know how, eh?" Pete said with a boastful smirk. "Why, my dear friend Maleficent busted me out, that's how!"

At that, Sora smirked. "Maleficent, huh? You know she's toast, right?"

Pete's eyes widened at that, but soon he put two and two together, and growled. "Why you...! Heartless squad, round up!"

And with that, the first batch of Heartless on this new adventure for Sora appeared, a group of Shadows and Knights taking the battlefield. Of course, with help from the future warriors, the battle didn't last too long... though the others noticed that Tenmei wasn't doing much fighting, only offering a few spells and even healing Sora when he got damaged a bit too much for his liking.

With Pete's forces out of the way, the group began scaling the tower, with Sora, Donald and Goofy up front while Yumi, Hikari, Tenmei and Shun hung out back, with Hikari starting to grill Tenmei a bit.

"Why aren't you using your keyblade?" Hikari asked, looking confused but at the same time a little peeved at the prince. "And why are you avoiding looking at my sister, on top of that?"

"Yeah, dude, you're acting a bit strange", Shun commented. Tenmei knew he only meant about the Yumi situation, as Shun was well aware about the deal with Tenmei and his keyblade.

"I'm supposed to be gauging your abilities", Tenmei answered Hikari, blatantly ignoring the question about Yumi. "If I help you too much, then I won't know how much Ren and I will need to train you both." He stepped forward a bit. "Now, the sooner we get to Ren, the sooner you'll get off my back, so let's focus on the task at hand, shall we?"

Though Hikari didn't exactly like the response she had received, she only brushed it off as the six of them headed up the castle. Soon enough, they reached a room where an older man sat, which reminded Hikari and Yumi of their grandfather in a way. The man he was talking to, however, was what really drew their attention. Ren was standing there talking to him, wearing the same Organization cloak he had appeared back as a complete person in. He only turned to them when they emerged in the room, and gave a slight smirk. "Well, about time you got here."

"Ran into some... minor trouble", Tenmei stated, "but nothing we couldn't handle. Everyone's here and accounted for... Master, may we go ahead and speak with the fairies while you fill in Sora on his new task?"

"Of course", Yen Sid nodded, ignoring the baffled looks that Yumi and Hikari were both giving Ren for his brief, non-personal greeting that he had given them after they literally had watched him die. "Once you are done, I will send Sora in next."

Yumi looked over at Ren, confused as all hell. "Um... Ren? Is that really you?" she asked. "You seem... different."

Ren frowned at her. "The P. I... there, now do you believe it's me?"

At that, Yumi turned bright red, before rushing over to him, her hands lightly hitting him in the chest. "J-jerk! Y-you p-promised!" she shouted out, clearly embarrassed at that.

"Oh come on, like you need it anymore, and I didn't actually say it now, did I?", Ren muttered so only she could hear, turning to look at Hikari. "Now do I need to prove it's me to you as well, or-" however, before he could say anything more, she too was hitting him in the chest, this time a little harder.

"Y-y-you idiot! I can't believe you!" Hikari shouted, tears flowing freely from her eyes. "You can't just turn up after being 'dead' for Light knows how long and talk like you just left on a business trip!"

Ren sweat dropped, looking at Shun, Tenmei and Sora for help, though all three of the other boys did _not_ seem to want to get involved in this situation. Yen Sid cleared his throat before more could happen, however, speaking sternly as if irritated. "I advise you do not keep the fairies waiting any longer, children. They already agreed to help you despite the amount of outfits they had to design, so show your respect and do not delay any longer."

At that, the girls stopped hitting Ren, both muttering their apologies, before Yumi grabbed Hikari's hand, wanting them both to be the first to get changed. As soon as the door closed behind them, Tenmei visibly relaxed, letting out a breath of relief.

"Okay, what is your deal?" Shun asked. "Yumi and Hikari aren't here anymore, so come on, dude. What's wrong?"

Ren looked over, raising an eyebrow. "Wait, what now?"

At that, Tenmei blushed again, but since he knew the girls couldn't hear them, he finally spoke up. "W-well... you know how I grew up in a castle, right?" he said, speaking softly so Sora couldn't hear them over Yen Sid's monologue.

"Yeah..." Shun said, not following.

"Well... I had... _very little_ contact with kids and teens my own age, right?" Tenmei continued, deciding to be a bit more elaborate.

"Uh huh..."

Tenmei stared at Shun for a bit longer, his brow knitting in obvious irritation, before deciding to outright say it. "Last time I saw Yumi, she had a slim athletic build and I felt comfortable around her and could say anything and not feel bad. But now I see her and now she's all..." At first, he wasn't sure how to describe it, so he blurted the first thing that came to mind. He gestured with his hands, bringing them to his chest before pushing them outward. "She went all '_boing_' and now I'm not sure what to do or say because I can't stop staring at her and I feel like total trash for doing it!"

"Oh, you like her rack", Shun bluntly stated, finally realizing it. "Got it!"

Ren facepalmed at that, while Tenmei looked completely shocked and appalled (while his face turned as red as a tomato). No other words were exchanged between the three boys, as embarrassment on Tenmei's part mostly prevented him from saying anything else. Finally, the door to the faeries room opened, and the girls stepped out.

Hikari emerged first, and was smiling at the new outfit she was wearing. She had transformed almost completely, wearing a light greyish silver top, with a black shirt complete with white leggings, and black boots. The top of the dress had a black hood as well, as well as two black pockets attached to the top. "It has _pockets_!" Hikari stated, grinning with glee, stuffing her hands in the pockets. "See?"

Yumi, on the other hand, only giggled at her sister's antics. Unlike her sister, she decided once again on a tank-top shorts combo. Unlike before, she wore a tight black crop-top, covering up her chest completely in a comfy fashion. It stopped just at her belly button, letting a tiny bit of her belly show as she wore a pair of green shorts, which went down to her knees. Instead of leggings like before, she decided to just let her calves be shown, wearing a pair of white ankle socks along with her black shoes. And to top it off, she wore a yellow hoodie, with a couple pockets on her side as she left the hoodie unzipped for now. "You always did like your pockets", she teased, feeling a lot more comfortable in her new outfit.

"Dresses normally don't have pockets", Hikari stated, doing a bit of a sway with her hands still in her pockets. "This is my new favorite outfit hands down... because _pockets_!"

Tenmei, meanwhile, was now doing the opposite of before; he couldn't take his eyes _off_ of Yumi now. It didn't take long for the redhead to notice, and she felt herself blushing at his gaze. "Um... T-Tenmei?" she asked, walking over. "You alright...?"

At that, he finally got a grip of himself, and shook his head a bit. "I-I'm sorry... but... that looks really cute on you", he blurted out, not able to stop himself from saying that. He blushed yet again, covering his mouth before lowering his eyes. He muttered an "excuse me" before heading into the faeries' room, intent on changing immediately. Ren and Shun, only looking at each other for a moment before grinning a bit, followed after him, instantly realizing that he was flustered, leaving behind a blushing, dazed Yumi and a pocket-distracted Hikari.

"Well, let's get this over with", Merryweather the blue fairy muttered, clearly not happy that they had to change six people instead of just one. "You three need it the most, other than Sora... you need to get out of those awful cloaks..."

"Oh, indeed", Fauna agreed, looking over the three with interest. "But come on, sister. This will be fun!"

"Oh, I agree!" Flora said, glancing at them as well. "Now, who wants to go first?"

Tenmei reached over to Shun, shoving him forward, and before the teen could argue, the faeries were upon him, taking measurements and getting ready to change his clothes. "I'd rather go last, thank you", Tenmei stated, moving so that he was behind Ren.

The three fairies grinned, instantly knowing what they were going to do, before waving their wands and instantly changing Shun. He was now wearing a outfit almost completely made of leather, with a black leather jacket and leather pants, black leather boots, and even a pair of leather gloves (also black). The only thing not black on the teen was his silver gunblade, and a white undershirt. Shun looked pleased at the change, looking himself over. "This makes my ass look good!"

"That was... unnecessary", Ren muttered with a disgusted gaze, stepping up next. "Well, I'm next, I guess."

"Oh, we've had our eye on you for awhile!" Fauna admitted, grinning a bit. "We already decided on the perfect outfit for you!" And before Ren could even say another word, they had already worked their magic. The first thing Ren noticed was that he now wore a pair of black boots, along with black jeans with a thick, with a white stripe going up the outer side of each leg. The next thing he noticed was that his once black hoodie, which he lost in his heartless transition, was replaced with a dark grey hoodie with an off-center zipper going up his right side, an open collar coming out as the hoodie wasn't zipped up all the way. The cuffs of the long sleeves, which cut off halfway between his eblows and wrists, were white, as was the inside of the hood, and a large trim portion of the bottom that met his pants. A light grey undershirt, almost the same color as Hikari's top, completed the look.

"Smashing, dear!" Flora applauded. "But of course, we knew it would be!"

"Cocky, aren't we?" Ren muttered, though even he had to admit that he liked the outfit he was given, a small smile appearing on the face of the Twilight warrior before he stepped back, pushing Tenmei forward. "Alright, your turn."

Tenmei let out a bit of a whine, knowing he had to but still not wanting to. "Alright... fine, let's just get this over with", he said. "I'm a prince, dammit... I shouldn't let something like unexpected outfit changes upset me this much."

The fairies all smiled at him. "Don't worry, dear... we have something special, just for you." With that, he was hit with a spell as well, and in an instant, the black cloak was gone. Probably the most notable thing were the black jeans he wore. Stitched into the sides were the helixed designs of the Twilight's Guardian, though without the blade the reference would be unnoticed most of the time. He wore a white undershirt, which held the symbol of a black, transparent heart, with the inside curving a bit. His hoodie reminded Ren and Shun of the day they met him, with a white base and black decals trailing along the sleeves, but now it had what looked to be silver trim, lining his pockets and the inside of his hoodie, as well as certain spots on his zipper. Finally, the hood had an obvious crescent moon stitched into it, with the crown from Sora's necklace detailed into the side of his left shoe, which was also white while the detail was black. He looked himself over, and while he felt it wasn't his style... the clothes fit him perfectly and were rather comfy.

"I... I can work with this", he said, smiling. "Thank you very much, my ladies."

At that, the fairy sisters all gave a laugh, smiling. "Oh, my, it has been quite some time since we've dealt with royalty, hasn't it?" Flora asked.

"Not since Rose was in our care", Fauna confirmed. "Thank you for the compliment, dearie."

"I'm certain you'll catch the eye of plenty of girls", Merryweather stated, causing the prince to blush at that.

"Th-thank you very much", he said, bowing his head a bit, before turning around, seeing Shun and Ren staring at him a bit. "... what?"

"There's only _one_ girl he wants to catch the eye of if you know what I mean", Shun instantly said, racing out of the room before Tenmei could say anything.

"Wha-?! Get back here!" he shouted, chasing after the teen with an orb of light in his hand as he flushed bright red.

"Please excuse us, ladies", Ren muttered in embarrassment, bowing to them before sighing, walking after the two boys with a look of annoyance. As he came into the room, he could see Shun hiding behind Yumi, who's eyes were wide staring at Tenmei as he emerged. Tenmei, not noticing Yumi's gaze, was glaring at Shun, not willing to take the shot while he used the redhead as a meat shield.

"Wow", Yumi muttered, as Sora sighed walking into the room where the fairies would take their time deciding on his outfit. "That looks good on you, Tenmei!"

At that, the prince finally snapped back to reality, and blushed a bit, dismissing the ball of light. "Y-You really think so?" he asked, bringing one hand behind his head. "You know how I am with costume changes, so I was a little worried..."

"Without a doubt", Yumi assured, smiling up at him since he was now a head taller than her. "I... I really like it!" she stated, blushing a bit.

With that complement, Tenmei was now on cloud nine, smiling happily as he scratched the back of his head. Hikari cleared her throat at that point, snapping Tenmei back from cloud nine back to Earth. "Alright, so I was wrong... you were right about bringing Ren back, Tenmei... sorry I doubted you."

At that, Tenmei gave her a gentle smile, though his brow was a bit furrowed. "Well... after how I acted, I can't say I blame you. Apology accepted."

Hikari seemed to not hear this however, as she was looking Ren over. "Though... I didn't expect this kind of change. He's really grown up, and is..." she suddenly blushed and grew silent, tapping her pointer fingers together.

"... and I lost her", Tenmei said, sighing. "Guess we'll have our heart to heart moment later." He looked back at the door, seeing Sora finally stepping out. "So, you all set?"

"You bet!" Sora said. "I'm ready to travel the worlds again!"

"Slow down there, tiger", Shun said, smirking. "We're going with you!"

"You are?!" Donald and Goofy said, surprised but happy.

"We are?!" Hikari and Yumi both shouted, sounding a bit annoyed at that.

"How do you expect us all to fit in that tiny ship?" Yumi asked, pouting. "Nothing personal, Goofy, but I do _not_ want to share a chair with you again!"

"None taken!" Goofy said with a 'hyuk'. "I guess our ship is a bit small for five people, let alone eight."

Ren smirked, as if waiting for that comment,"You don't think I didn't come prepared, did you?" And with that, he held up an orb of darkness in his hand, and threw it out the window. Suddenly, a dark corridor appeared, and instantly warped in the signature black ship that the five of them had used before hand to track Xao down.

"My baby!" Tenmei said with a smile, looking out the window at it. "She looks so pretty... did you give her a wash and upgrade her?"

"Got her polished too", Ren pointed out. "As well as upgrading the bedrooms for added luxury, and added a fourth shower in and a second water tank so we can use all four showers at once without worrying about water pressure or temperature..." Ren looked at Tenmei, who was already smiling at all the changes Ren was pointing out, though he hadn't even gotten to the best part yet. "As well as adding in more to the training room to help us in making training easier... and a turbo boost feature powered by darkness."

At that, Tenmei's normally calm face shifted into one of pure, childlike glee, and before anyone could stop him, he actually jumped from the window, landing in the open door of the ship no problem, before rushing inside to see everything himself. The rest of the group sweat dropped at that, especially Yumi.

"... I had no idea he liked gummi ships that much", she murmured, looking over at Hikari. "Did you...?"

"Nope", the blonde muttered, before looking at Ren with a worried expression. "D-did you say that turbo boost was powered by darkness? Are you sure it's safe?"

Ren looked at her with a reassuring look, walking towards the window where the gummi ship hovered in waiting for them. "I made sure it was... after you, miss."

Hikari blushed as Ren held out his hand, before taking in and allowing him to help her into the ship, before he also helped Yumi and jumped on himself, leaving Shun to basically shove Sora and his friends on before jumping into the ship himself. Here, they could see that Ren did indeed make the ship's interior very nice compared to how it was before, though Tenmei did not seem to take in the aesthetics, and instead was at the Captain's Chair, looking around for something.

"Button, button, where's the bloody..." Then his eyes locked onto something, and he blinked a couple times, before looking at Ren. "I'm assuming it's the 'Are You Insane?!' button?"

"That's the one", Ren stated, sitting down and buckling his seat belt, before turning to the others. "I recommend you all do the same... now!"

The serious tone of his voice caused everyone to scramble for a seat, hastily buckling in panic. Tenmei, clearing his throat, picked up the microphone on the ship, which caused Hikari to have a strong sense of de ja vu and pale a little. "Oh no..."

"Good evening everyone, this is your captain speaking", he said, smiling happily as his voice echoed in the cabin a bit. "We are now preparing to take off towards the first stop on our trip, the lovely Hollow Bastion. Normally this flight would take about half an hour, but thanks to special upgrades to our gummi ship, this trip will take approximately one minute. Please keep your seatbelts on until I have given the okay, as we are leaving in approximately... _NOW_!" And with that, he slammed his hand down, hitting the big red button that determined his sanity.

All that Master Yen Sid heard from the ship before it vanished was a shrill voice, screeching "NOT AGAIN!", followed by screams of horror, a yelp from what sounded like Donald, a long howl from Goofy, and a gleeful almost insane laugh as the ship disappeared into the sky.


	15. Hollow Return

**I'm sorry for the delay in this one, folks. I'll try to post the chapters closer to one another, but a lot has been going on on my end, so I've been... distracted, to say the least.**

**Anyway, on with the show!**

XxXxXxX

In a matter of mere minutes, the large ship came to a halt in orbit around the familiar world, cruising at a safe altitude. Tenmei let out a slightly crazy chuckle, his eyes wide as his head was pressed firmly against his headrest. "... that was fun", he said, the manic tone out of place for the usually calm and collected prince.

Meanwhile, everyone else had a slightly different look then Tenmei did, while Ren still looked as monotone as he did as a heartless. Shun was wearing a face of shock, as if still processing what had just happened. Hikari and Yumi both looked slightly sickish, a bit green from the sudden forces that they had to experience. Meanwhile, Sora and his two friends were looking at Tenmei in pure horror, unsure what to say other than, in complete unison...

"ARE YOU INSANE!?"

Tenmei perked up at that, looking back at them with a quirked eyebrow, before chuckling, looking over at Ren. "So _that's_ why you labeled it that way. Clever."

"I try", Ren replied, a ghost of a smirk on his face for a moment before he unbuckled and stood up, stretching a bit, the only one unaffected by the forces they had all just experienced. Of course, he had probably a few joy-rides under his belt already, so it was no wonder why he was the only one taking the whole thing in stride.

"That... was... awesome!" Shun shouted, being the second to recover, as Tenmei was the first. "Let's go again!"

"Let's not", Hikari groaned a bit, falling out of her seat once her belt was loosened.

"Don't worry, it takes 25 hours to recharge", Ren commented. "And yes, 25... not 24, I timed it."

Tenmei quirked an eyebrow, raising his hand as if to ask why he would do that, but soon just shrugged, and unfastened his belt as well. "Alright... I saw we have a way to beam us down to the world this time without drawing too much attention, so once everyone's all set, we'll disembark." That was when he glanced over at Yumi, and he frowned a bit. "You okay?"

"Mommy, I don't wanna ride anymore", Yumi whimpered, not willing to even move right now. Tenmei winced a bit, realizing that maybe it was a bit too soon to pull out the boost, so he gave a sigh.

"Fine, fine... I won't use the boost unless it's absolutely necessary", he conceded. "It looks like more of us get sick from it than anything else, so we'll need to refrain from using that. I appreciate the thought, though, Ren."

"Yeah, no worries", Ren held out his hand at that, muttering something under his breath. A flash of green light enveloped those feeling sick from the event, and shortly after that they all seemed to be getting back on their feet, looking at their bodies in amazement. "Alright, that should be good. Let's move."

Hikari blinked, looking at Ren in shock as he stepped off the ship. "That... was no normal Cure spell."

Yumi gave herself a once over, before stretching, reaching above her head. "Well, to be fair, the boys all got a chance to train a bunch while we were asleep. I'm sure it's just something he learned while we were out."

As she spoke, Tenmei couldn't help but glance over at her, but once he realized he was staring, he quickly turned away with a scarlet tint on his cheeks, deciding to just leave the ship while the sisters conversed. Of course, his actions did not go unnoticed, as Hikari spied him taking a good look at Yumi's back.

"Uh-huh..." the blonde sister said, pondering what that meant before looking back at Yumi. "But... isn't that a bit weird that he could heal all five of us without any problem?"

"Maybe he knows Curaga?" Donald offered. "If he's been training over the past year, it would make sense he knows that one by now."

"No, I recognize Curaga... that is what I used to heal Tenmei once..." Hikari muttered, thinking it once over before shaking her head. "I'll have to ask him later. We're going to fall behind."

And it did not take long for them all to catch up, as Tenmei and Ren were waiting at the top of the stairs for them, just before they would enter the main square of the town.

"Welcome back to Hollow Bastion, everyone", Tenmei stated, smiling a bit. "As you can see, it's very different since the last time any of you have been here. Consider it the first line of defense against the Heartless."

Hikari winced a bit, looking over at the castle before shifting herself so she was practically all but touching Ren, getting very close to the boy. "Of all the places..."

Ren looked at her for a moment before shaking his head, "Nothing bad is going to happen this time, trust me. Now we need to hurry, I told Leon we'd be there by now."

At that, Sora began beaming. "Oh, right! This is Leon and his friends' world, isn't it? Then what're we waiting for?" With that, he began to run off, while Tenmei gave a sigh.

"And there he goes", he muttered, watching as Donald and Goofy stuck close behind him. He merely began walking, leading the way through the square. This, of course, gave Yumi ample time to take in her prince's changes, although she found herself having to look away once she realized she was staring at a specific spot a little too long, feeling her face growing warm.

"Uh-huh..." the blonde sister said at that, noticing Yumi staring at the spot she had to look away from.

"What?" Ren and Shun both asked, hearing her.

"Just pondering things", Hikari muttered, before turning to Ren. "Speaking of, what did you use to heal us all?"

"An advanced form of Cure", Ren simply stated, as if no other explanation was needed.

"Well, duh... but what level? That wasn't Curaga, I know that spell", Hikari stated, eyeing Ren with curiosity.

Ren raised an eyebrow before muttering "but it was Curaga", though before Hikari could reply, they had reached the square, where a beam of light suddenly shot forth in front of them all, startling all that had not witnessed it before.

"What is that?" Yumi asked, surprised, looking all around. "They keep popping up like that..."

"That's the town's defenses!" came an unfamiliar voice... at least, to Yumi and Hikari. The group looked up, spotting a thin, pale girl, who wore a pair of black shorts, a black vest over a black tank top, and a bandana tied around her head.

"Yuffie!" Sora called out, happy to see his friend. She looked ready to greet him just the same, but soon her eyes widened in shock instead.

"Look out!" she cried, just as a squad of heartless appeared, surrounding the group. Tenmei took this opportunity to back away from the fight, slipping into a corridor of Darkness onto a nearby roof as he watched the battle from above. And needless to say, he still wasn't happy with what he was seeing. Ren and Shun were one thing, though Tenmei knew they were holding back on purpose to give Tenmei a chance to see what a year of napping had done to Sora and the others.

And somehow it made them weaker than they should be.

"This isn't right..." he muttered. "I know that, no doubt, all of them had their memories tampered in that blasted castle... but the stasis should have kept them in better shape." Then he began pondering, muttering to himself. "... but is it true stasis? Sora, Hikari, and Yumi all aged while in the pods... perhaps some minor muscle deterioration happened while they were put under...?"

"Uh... dude? They're done", Shun suddenly said to him, elbowing him in the side as he transported to his side. "We can go now."

Tenmei blinked, shaking his head. "R-right... sorry... I can't seem to get rid of that habit of tunnel-visioning on a problem..." He sighed as he jumped down, clearly not happy. "We might have a lot more work to do than I anticipated..."

"We can start with the girls", Ren suggested, said girls eyeing Ren as he walked forward to talk to Tenmei and Shun, wondering what they were missing. "Sora is self taught, so his improvement will be quick... _hopefully_."

Tenmei nodded, silently agreeing with Ren. He then walked back over to the group, as Sora was talking with Yuffie... doing a rather bad Leon impression. After a few more exchanged words, the group began walking again... with two certain somebodies sneaking glances at each other when they thought they could get away with it.

"Uh-huh..." Hikari muttered for a third time, catching them, though this time her right fist made contact with her left palm, as if she had figured something out.

At that, Tenmei turned to her, now the one to hear her. "'Uh-huh' what?" he asked, confused by her behavior.

"Just figured something out is all", Hikari simply said, humming to herself as she passed the boy, entering the small house Yuffie called base.

"... I don't feel good about that..." Tenmei muttered, bringing up the rear as they all gathered into the house. Sora was pulled forward, as the rest of the gang, including Leon, Cid, and Aerith, welcomed him back to their world. As they were being caught up, the prince was observing outside, making sure no Heartless would try to attack them now.

Yumi was trying to pay attention to everything, since she was a little lost on what happened. She may have been a history nerd, but this was an aspect no book had ever covered, and she did her best to understand the dynamics of Sora's relationship with the group, observing with interest. Ren and Shun, however, were just kinda half-listening, already knowing some of what was going on.

"Follow me", Leon finally said, though they couldn't help but noticing that he looked very pale. "There's... something you need to see."

"That's uncharacteristic of him", Shun muttered, following after him with a look of confusion. Ren, Sora, Donald and Goofy followed next, also looking at Leon with confusion. Yumi went next, and just before Tenmei could follow, he suddenly felt a hand grip his wrist.

"We need to talk", Hikari's voice came sternly from behind him.

At that, Tenmei paled a bit, and turned to face her. Was she going to try something, now that she managed to pull him away from the group? He swallowed a bit nervously, not liking the tone of her voice. "And what might that be?" he asked, trying to suppress his anxiety.

"I know what feelings you hold for my sister", she bluntly stated, as if it was obvious to everyone. "And I just wanted to make sure we're clear on a few things. That's all."

At the mention of his feelings and Yumi, Tenmei felt his face flush up a little bit. He wasn't sure what to say, wondering what she meant. "U-Uh... if this is about Twilight Town, I admit that her... 'growth spurt' caught me very off guard, if that's what you're mad at me about. I-I didn't mean to insult."

Hikari sighed at that, "No, you dolt... her little 'growth spurt' caught me off guard too! I mean I know you like her, _like_ like her."

At that, Tenmei's heart began beating faster, and he had to grip his chest a bit, unsure of what to say. Hikari, for the first time, saw the prince in a very vulnerable spot, not willing to make eye contact with her. "I... I'm not... sure what I feel towards Yumi", he admitted. "I've... never felt this way before. About anyone, really." He glanced back at Hikari. "Are you... mad at me for that?"

"You can't help how you feel about another person", Hikari muttered, looking out the window as if thinking about something just then, but before Tenmei could reply, she had turned back to him, once again a fierce demeanor written on her face. "So no, I'm not... but I am her sister, so just know she's more precious to me than Ren is, got it?"

From bright red to deathly pale, Tenmei only nodded, his red eyes wide in shock and understanding. "Y-Yes, ma'am", he managed to squeak.

"Good", Hikari stated, before beginning to walk off. However, Tenmei had sensed that she stopped at the door, not stepping outside just yet. "By the way... she's never had a boyfriend before, or even kissed anyone before... so don't be dumb and jump all in _if_ you do anything. You let me know first." With that, she left, leaving the prince in a whirlwind of emotions.

A low whistle pierced the air, as Cid chuckled a bit. "Looks like you're in a boatload of trouble", he said.

"Sh-shut up, Cid", the prince retorted, collecting himself. He cleared his throat a bit, straightened his hoodie, and began following Hikari as she went to catch up with the group. Most boys would be happy to hear that their crush had never had a boyfriend before.

_How the hell am I going to mess this up?!_

Tenmei was not most boys.

XxXxXxX

"Look at that", Leon pointed, the pale look his face was wearing getting worse as he looked down. The eight of them did, and the second their minds had processed what they were looking at, looks of horror had enveloped them all. There was millions of tiny black and yellow specs on the ground before them, signifying the heartless here were swarming in insane numbers, almost as large as they would be in the Realm of Darkness itself.

"...huh", Ren's eyes were wide, but other than that he did not show much shock towards this. "He's been busy."

Yumi, meanwhile, had a much worse reaction. She began breathing heavily, having to back up and look away from the sea of darkness before them. She even found herself leaning against one of the stone walls nearby, trembling as she curled her fingers into a fist.

"Yumi..." Tenmei muttered, as Hikari immediately moved to check on her sister.

"Is... she going to be alright?" Sora asked, concerned. "I know she doesn't like the Heartless... but I've never seen her react like that before..."

"She... might be remembering _that_ day", Shun muttered to Sora, who immediately, despite being naive at the time, knew he was referring to when their world fell. As Sora moved in to provide his own comfort, Shun looked towards Ren and Tenmei with concern. "This is bad. We might need to do more work than we thought."

Tenmei glared back out at the sea. "I can't blame her... this does bring memories of our worst day..." He gave a sigh, shaking his head.

_**YOU LET TWILIGHT CITADEL DIE!**_

"But... you are right, Shun. If she's going to help us with this... she needs to face her fears. Before the day comes when we'll have to fight all of that... we'll need to train her to fight against Heartless with more confidence."

Ren was staring out into the swarm, pondering what this could all mean. He was sure Rexn had done tons of work in the organization, and heck even accidentally made it so Xemnas' Kingdom Hearts would be more powerful, but this made it look like Rexn had done the opposite. Was Xao really that busy with his own brand of darkness, that history had altered that much?

Before he could ponder it much longer, however, voices that he recognized all too well were heard.

"Organization XIII..." Ren muttered, drowning out their voice as he moved forward, knowing that the Nobodies were on their way. Sure enough, once the taunts were done, a swarm of Dusks appeared and fought against Sora. Ren and Shun provided backup, along with Donald and Goofy. Thanks to the assistance, it did not take too long to vanquish them all, and soon after that, the black cloaked figures began their taunts once more.

"The keyblade... a truly marvelous weapon... if only it were in more capable' hands."

"Show yourselves!" Sora shouted, clenching his fist in anger. As if on command, several dark corridors appeared, and through them came six members, staring down at the group with their hoods up; though Ren knew who each one was, having fought along side them for so long as his Nobody. Of course, he couldn't say anything, as it would mess up the timeline even more than it already was.

"Organization XIII!" Goofy shouted, looking up and pointing.

"Good", Sora brashly stated, glaring at them. "Now we can settle this!"

"What a shame", the head of the group stated mockingly. "And here I thought we could be friends." Several laughs came from that remark from the other members, finding this bullying of Sora amusing. As quickly as before, they all vanished one by one.

"Stop!" Donald yelled, rushing past everyone to go after them. Before even Tenmei could stop the miffed mallard, one of the members appeared in front of him, cutting him off. "What's the big idea?!"

"Oopsy daisy", came the voice, one that Ren knew all too well.

_Him_, Ren thought, before remembering him reading a magazine as Xemnas talked and having to repress a snort.

"Move!" Sora demanded.

"Now, do you think that's polite, shutting me down like that?" the cloaked figure stated, shrugging a bit and feigning hurt.

"I said get out of the way!" Sora demanded again, clearly irritated.

"As if!" the man rebuked, standing up straight as he crossed his arms a bit. "You can talk all you want, but that won't change a thing."

"Then we're gonna make you move!" Donald challenged, hopping back so he stood by a ready Sora.

"Now see, that would work... if I was just any old dude", the man continued, shaking his head. "'Cept I'm not. I'm with the Organization. Nothing 'any old' about me."

"Sora, back down", Ren ordered at once, looking at the cloaked figure. "He's too strong for you as you are now. Attempting to pick a fight is only going to get you angry, killed... or both."

"Tough talk for someone who stood on the sidelines while your Nobody flunkeys did all the fighting!" came a surprising voice, and the others had to pause, turning to stare at Yumi, who had clenched her fist as she stood by Sora's side. Her uncertain expression from before was gone, replaced by pure fury.

_And I have been ignored_, Ren thought to himself, sighing a bit as he stepped back. "No, go ahead. Pick a fight you can't win."

"Oh dear... I think you might have gotten the wrong impression", the cloaked man continued, wagging his finger from side to side.

_What in the depths of the Darkness is even going on here?_ Tenmei asked himself, confused as Yumi continued taunting. "You gonna cry?!" she challenged.

"As if", he stated, standing his ground easily. "Though, by the looks of it... you just might, won't you, girlie?"

At that, Yumi grit her teeth, but she didn't fall for it. Instead, she simply raised her shield a bit, ready for anything... except for a bop on the head from behind. "Ow! What the-?!"

"The hell are you doing?" Tenmei stated bluntly, looking her down in frustration. "This is not a fight we can win right now." He then glared over at Sora. "And YOU need to cool your jets, too, you _idiot_."

"Well, finally someone with some sense!" the member taunted, only his attention was suddenly drawn as Ren had stepped forward, facing him at eye level. Everyone was now staring at the two of them, though only Tenmei could hear the exchange.

"Back off, Xigbar", Ren muttered threateningly. "You got the reaction you wanted, so leave."

The member, now known to Tenmei as Xigbar, only huffed. "And I'll remind you, Rexn, that you _still_ don't know anything about me." But taking his leave, he jumped back a bit, and waved to Sora and the others. "Be good kiddies now!" He suddenly vanished, leaving nothing in his wake other than a swirl of darkness.

Tenmei watched where Xigbar had vanished for a moment, before looking back at Yumi, for once actually giving her a frustrated glare. "You have no idea how dangerous that was, Yumi", he stated bluntly.

"I could've taken him!" Yumi countered, huffing as she tried to puff up a bit, glaring right back. "If I got one good punch in, I could've-"

"No!" Ren's voice suddenly shot at her, and the tone of it caused Hikari, Shun and Yumi to flinch in surprise. Never in their lives had they heard Ren take the harsh tone that he took just then, his eyes locked on Yumi in frustration. "Yumi, you might _think_ you know that guy's strength... but you don't. You're nothing compared to him... _I'm_ nothing compared to him right now... let that sink in for a damn moment before you go shooting your mouth off!"

The three were quiet for a moment. Even Sora and his friends weren't sure what to say. That was when Tenmei spoke up. "Well, better to just say it now instead of waiting until later... I'm very... _very_ disappointed by everything I've seen today. So... that means you need to relearn everything you knew before you were put asleep." He then looked over at Hikari, his eyes narrowing. "Both of you."

"What'd I do?" Hikari puffed up, getting defensive. "I didn't go shooting my mouth off to a guy I knew I couldn't beat, now did I? Besides, I am stronger than-"

"Enough!" Ren snapped, glaring at her next. "We'll be the judge of your strength, and Tenmei is right. All of you have an ego right now, and it quickly needs to be deflated..."

"Whoa..." Shun muttered, never seeing Ren this agitated before, the change in his personality from a year ago even more apparent now then it was before.

"We'll talk more on the ship", Tenmei stated, huffing a bit. He turned, placing both hands on his head. "... I need a moment to cool off."

As he walked away, Yumi's own anger seemed to fade, and she realized how badly she screwed up. She looked down at her feet, lightly kicking the ground. A single tear formed in her eye, and she hastily wiped it away. _Don't cry again, don't cry again... you're supposed to be getting over this, Yumi_, she scolded herself.

"So, what was that about", Hikari asked, crossing her arms and glaring at Ren, as Sora was too distracted at this point by the arrival of the others to pay attention to them. "You never get that peeved, you're always the cool and collected one now, so why go biting our heads off over something so trivial as a bit of taunting?"

Ren glared at her for a moment before sighing, thinking it was better to explain it. "History is rapidly changing. The Organization I spent my time with as Rexn was much different then the one Roxas did in the original timeline... of course he was there, too, but that's besides the point. That guy could've actually attacked you back there, and before a single one of you says anything dumb... no, you are not stronger then him. I should know, I _worked_ with him!"

Yumi walked over, now thoroughly chastised. "I... I'm sorry, Ren", she muttered. "I let my emotions get a bit too heated... and I made you and Tenmei mad, too..."

Ren looked at her, then to Hikari. "Your training will commence once we get back on the ship. No exceptions. We need to be ready for anything, understood? And let's not try and make history worse than it already is... lord knows I did enough of that already."

"Enough of..." Hikari muttered, before putting two and two together. "Wait, did you change the Organization accidentally!?"

"Me and Xao's influence, yes..." Ren muttered, trying to give himself some of his credibility back. "Point is, things are different now. As long as we keep our cool, we should be fine and things should go smoothly. We'll step in when we need to, after all certain events are written in stone and cannot change, like the final defeat of the Organization members... but how they fall, and more importantly, _who they take with them_, is not set in stone... understood?"

Yumi let out a soft "Mmm-hmm", nodding her head immediately. "I'll... I'll be better", she stated. "Promise."

"I'll hold you to that", Ren stated, nodding in approval at her.


	16. Crouching Twilight, Obnoxious Dragon

Once the path to the next world was opened by Sora, the group returned to the ship. Tenmei was the first to arrive, but he still did not look completely calm, as he sat waiting for everyone to catch up. He glanced over at Sora, Donald and Goofy. "You three are in charge of navigation", he stated, leaving no room for argument. "Hikari and Yumi will be coming with Ren and I into the training room. Shun... do whatever, I don't care right now."

"I'll hang with Sora", Shun stated, following after them, not really wanting to be around them after what had happened on Hollow Bastion. "Who knows, maybe we can bond over stuff." He shrugged, chuckling a bit before heading off, leaving the girls to their fate with the Twilight Princes.

"Look, Tenmei-" Yumi started, but she was immediately shot down.

"Not a word until I've said my peace", Tenmei stated, turning away. His gaze lingered over to Sora, Donald and Goofy. "And we will not be discussing this out here. Training room. Now."

With little choice, the girls followed after Tenmei and Ren, entering the bigger, improved training room. There was a computer over on the side, probably to run some simulations for their combat practice, and plenty more training dummies. But the two Twilight users did not bring them over to the dummies; instead, they were brought to the resting area, and with one point, they knew they were expected to sit.

"So... I hope you both realize that you're not anywhere near the level you should be", he stated simply. "Whatever 'stasis' or whatever you call it you were put in... it didn't keep everything as it should be. If it were true stasis, you wouldn't have grown at all... and perhaps your strength and magic would be much closer to mine and Ren's."

"But I've always been the better one at magic!" Hikari immediately stated, trying to defend herself.

"I was a heartless for a year", Ren pointed out, causing Hikari and Yumi to wince at the old wound that Ren just reopened. "Using the keyblade in that state was a double edged sword, one mistake and I would've been vanquished. So, I opted to use magic most of the time instead, and I got pretty damn good at it."

"And you can see that I'm not using my keyblade", Tenmei pointed out. "I've also learned some new techniques, as well as picking up on my magic training, in order to not slack behind Ren." As an example, he pointed over at a dummy, firing a short beam of light at it. The burn mark it left behind indicated the power he was at, even without channeling any spells, as Yumi let out an audible "gulp" at that. "So... honestly, Hikari, you need to drop that damn ego you have and admit you can improve."

He then rounded on Yumi. "You, on the other hand... what the hell was that? Why, of all times, did you decide to try and pick a fight with one of the stronger members of Organization XIII? What made you lose your cool at them, of all things?"

Yumi was silent for a moment, looking down. She clenched her fist tightly, looking back up. "Because... I made a promise to myself... after you both left. I... I promised I would be stronger. Strong enough that... I could help you both. That I could stand my ground and not just... sit on the sidelines and cry. _Again_." She grit her teeth, thinking about what happened back at the quarry. "Seeing those heartless... those... eyes... they made me feel so weak... so useless. I started losing it fighting those Nobodies... and I guess I was just still itching to hit something."

"Yumi, there is a difference between true strength and brashness", Ren explained, shaking his head. "You don't go picking fights with someone just because you _think_ you're weak. You improve on yourself one step at a time." He paused for a moment, sighing to himself. "Learned that one the hard way."

Tenmei, meanwhile, looked over to the side, the shame rising within him.

**IT'S YOUR FAULT.**

"... same here", he muttered, clenching his fist.

"W-what happened?" Hikari asked them both, looking between the two. "Are you talking about...?"

Tenmei looked back at Hikari, before shaking his head. His silence told her all she needed to know. Instead, he reached over and took Yumi's hand. "Come on, let's get to work. Ren, can you handle Hikari's magic training for now?"

Ren nodded, stepping off to the side with Hikari following after him while Tenmei took the startled red-head. The blonde, meanwhile, looked a bit confused at Ren, who's expression was not readable right now. "So... what are you going to be focusing on with me?"

"Everything", Ren stated, which caused Hikari to almost face fall. Ren looked over at her, sensing her emotions. "I mean it. We need to get you back up to speed with everything. Offensive magic, defensive magic, you name it."

"Look, I'm not as weak as you think I am", Hikari stated, crossing her arms. "And I mean it, it's not an ego trip."

"Is that right?" Ren asked, looking at her with a fierce look. "I know you, and I am damn well aware that you can only cast Level 3 magic when you're emotions are spiked. Meanwhile, I've learned how to effortlessly use Level 3 magic on multiple targets at once... care to counter that one?"

Hikari blushed a bit in embarrassment, remembering how effortlessly Ren cured everyone on the ship. "O-okay, fair point... but I am sure I can defeat you in a magic only duel!"

"Wanna find out?"

Hikari yelped, suddenly turning. Ren had somehow appeared directly behind her, warping so fast that Hikari's mind had not processed it. She snapped her head back to where he was, then to where he currently stood, flabbergasted. "H-how?"

"Case in point", Ren muttered. "You need training, now let's start."

Tenmei, meanwhile, took Yumi over to the opposite side, letting go of her hand. "Alright, now, for what we'll... Yumi, are you okay?" he asked, his eyebrows knitting in concern.

The redhead only then realized she had been in a daze, and quickly shook her head, fighting down the blush that had spread over her cheeks. "I-I'm fine... sorry." She lifted her shield up, staring him down. "I'm ready to start!"

Tenmei quirked an eyebrow, but soon shook his head, sighing. "Okay... anyway, what you and I need to cover is your power." He walked over, pressing his hand against her shield. He pushed against her hand, and she found herself gritting her teeth as she struggled to keep her shield in the same spot. "Your technique and muscle memory are still in good condition - some very minor tweaking and you'll be back in business - but you need to build up your muscles a bit to pack a bit more 'oomph' in your punches."

"Really?" she asked, glancing over at her arm. "I thought I was still stronger than I was when we arrived here..." That was when she thought back to what he was saying about "stasis". "So, you think while we were sleeping, some of my muscles might have deteriorated a bit?"

"Exactly", Tenmei confirmed. "If you get back into the exercises you were doing with Hiroto, you should build up your strength in no time." Then he looked away, blushing a bit. "Plus... that might help with... another problem you, personally, have."

"Problem?" Yumi parroted, blinking. "What problem?"

"W-well..." Tenmei stated, realizing he was in a bit of a corner here. Almost anything he said now, on this matter in particular, was likely to get him in trouble, he was certain of it. He gave a sigh, knowing it was too late to back out. "... they... might not go back to B-cups, but... maybe they'll get smaller...?"

Yumi's eyes widened immensely, her face turning bright red in an instant. Even though he had left before she said that, he still heard that? Had he been staring at them when they were going to Yen Sid's tower? Was that why he avoided eye contact like the plague when she first woke up?

"Y-y-you PERVERT!" She screeched, and before the prince could react, he was hit with a wild right hook, catching him right in the cheek. He got knocked flat on his butt, sliding across the room a bit before his legs dropped, promptly knocked out.

Hikari and Ren suddenly looked over, Hikari with a shocked look on her face at the sudden outburst and the punch to Tenmei's face. Ren, meanwhile, had heard it all, and only gave a small huff as he aimed his hand at Tense and muttered 'Curaga' under his breath again, healing Tenmei instantly. "Alright, back to work, firecracker."

The former prince sat up immediately, groaning and rubbing his cheek, but he made no move to accuse Yumi of anything. "I... probably shouldn't have said anything about that, should I."

"Definitely a big no", Yumi said, glaring a bit as her arms instinctively moved to cover her chest. "Don't bring it up again, and I won't knock you out again. Deal?"

"Deal", Tenmei agreed, before standing once more. He stretched his jaw a bit, hearing a tiny 'click' as he rubbed his cheek again. "Alright... so maybe you don't need as much catching up as I thought..."

The training session continued all the way until they heard a shout from Shun, informing the group that they had arrived at the Land of Dragons. Ren huffed a little, stretching a bit as he got ready to disembark. "Alright, we will resume once we get back."

"C-Can't we rest after the world?" Hikari whined, following after Ren as he walked out of the room.

Tenmei only shook his head, following right behind them with Yumi in tow. The four caught up with Sora, who got a bit too excited and already left the ship with Donald, Goofy, and Shun (who griped a bit about babysitting them). Currently, they saw what looked to be a young man in armor, cowering before a large shadow.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think that was a heartless", Tenmei murmured, crossing his arms.

"Let's get the jump on him", Sora whispered, grinning as if he had come up with the best plan ever.

"W-wait, fellas!" Goofy stated, looking after Sora and Donald as they began to sneak up on the shadow. "Maybe we should look before we leap!"

This was ignored, however, as Sora and Donald leapt from the bushes and _almost_ collided into a giant rock, where a tiny dragon was standing giving a lecture to the person wearing some armor. At the sudden appearance of newcomers, the dragon let out a squawk, jumping into the person's arms before spouting about how he was Mushu, the great dragon guardian... until he saw who had startled him.

"Sora, Donald, Goofy... five weirdos I don't know!"

Weirdos? Ren thought, his eye twitching a bit.

"You know them?" the armored 'warrior' asked.

"Yeah, we used to kick all sorts of bad guy butt together!" Mushu explained, leaning on Sora's leg. "I helped these guys out of a ton of jams!"

"Something like that", Sora chucked, stepping forward so that Mushu fell on the ground. "So... who are you?"

"I am..." the warror began to explain, before suddenly clearing their throat and speaking deeper. "I am Ping! Son of Fa Zhou!"

"... I don't think Ping is a first name no matter what language you speak", Tenmei muttered. "Not that she's fooling anyone with that..."

"How do you know Mushu?" Sora asked, not hearing the prince.

"Mushu is one of my families guardians", Ping explained, as the lizard-like dragon crawled up 'his' body, perching on 'his' shoulder again.

"Gawrsh, we didn't know we were borrowin' someone as important as a family guardian", Goofy stated.

"That's right!" Mushu declared, his eyes flashing like he suddenly got a fantastic idea. "Which means you owe my boy Ping here a few favors! Well, it's payback time, kiddies!"

"Alright, then", Hikari stated, stepping forward and looking 'Ping' up and down. "Then let's start these favors by helping you out a bit... you really need to improve the voice a bit, sister."

Sora and Donald took a second to process that, before suddenly they looked at her with wide eyes. "W-wait! You're a girl!?"

"...was it obvious?" a now feminine-voiced warrior asked Hikari, looking a bit embarrassed.

"A tad", Hikari nodded. "A bit less forced, there are feminine sounding boys after all... take Ren for example!"

"Hey!" Ren pouted, crossing his arms insulted at the remark.

"See what I mean? Also... I take it women aren't allowed to join whatever it is you're doing, correct?" Hikari asked, and the disguised woman nodded, causing the blonde to sigh. "Great... Yumi, come with me."

"Wait, what?" Yumi managed to say, before being caught up by her sister and pulled away from the group.

Tenmei stepped forward next, crossing his arms as he stared "Ping" down. "So... what's your real name, if you don't mind me asking?"

"... it's Mulan", she admitted, sighing. "But please... just call me Ping while I'm dressed like this, alright? If anyone finds out I'm not a guy... I'll be put to death."

"Then why are you doing this?" came the question. "If you're risking so much, there's a good reason, right?"

"My father... he's the one who's supposed to be here, joining the army", Mulan explained. "But... he's already served in the army before, and he got seriously injured. He can't go anywhere without a cane anymore. I couldn't let him be pulled into another war and die for no good reason."

Tenmei nodded, listening as she gave her story. Soon, he nodded. "I understand. Then, I'm assuming we're all on board with helping Ping here with 'his' quest, correct?"

Sora nodded. "Definitely. Anything to help out Mushu for the hard work he's done."

"We're back", Hikari announced stepping forward, her skirt having transformed into pants, her hair in a braid, and her breasts mysteriously gone. Though she couldn't hide the feminine features in her face, she had done enough of a good job to hide enough of her to look questionable enough. "Yumi, come on! You look fine!"

Yumi walked in as well, and it was obvious for the discomfort. Her hoodie had been zipped up, along with her hood raised over her head. Much like Hikari, her shorts had also been turned into pants, and two features also mysteriously gone. "... this is very uncomfortable", she said, her voice sounding a bit strained.

"It's called a 'sports bra', sister", Hikari explained, sounding a bit annoyed at her complaining. "Yes, it sucks, since you're literally being squished. But we only have to deal with it for awhile, ok?"

"Fine... and I know what a sports bra is, Hikari", Yumi stated, looking a bit annoyed as well. "I've worn them more often than you have, you know. It's just... this one's really tight."

_That or you still have to get used to your bazookas,_ Hikari thought irritably.

"Enough about boobs", Ren muttered, walking forwards. "Let's go, we need to join the army before they're deployed after all." Still irritated, but agreeing, Hikari followed Ren, along with everyone else to the campsite that was just ahead of them. Once there, however, they got into more trouble then they wanted to, as Sora was hungry and decided to get some food... only to be cut in line by some trio.

"Well, this does happen in the main timeline, so...", Yumi observed, looking amused.

"I think Roxas rubbed off on him a little too much", Ren stated, watching the fighting with both irritation and mild amusement.

Tenmei's eye twitched a bit, before looking around. "Where is the captain? In a military, fights like these shouldn't be tolerated..."

Ping attempted to intervene, shouting "Please!", but that only put suspicion on her for a moment... until a powerful voice yelled, "Soldiers! Get back in line!" Almost immediately, both Sora's group and the angry soldiers stepped back into line, just as a tall man with a red cape walked by, staring them all down in a judging manner.

"I'm assuming that's the captain", Yumi muttered to Tenmei.

"Took him long enough, sheesh", Tenmei groused. "I've never seen anyone handle their troops so poorly before."

Before they could continue, though, the sound of the heartless appearing caught their ears, and soon the group found themselves surrounded by the colorful creatures, including Sleepwalkers with some shadows joining in the fray as well.

"And we're on, boys", Shun grinned, drawing his gunblade and firing a few rounds before slicing a Sleepwalker.

"Time to gain enough of a good score to join the military", Ren stated, drawing his keyblade and getting into the fray as well. "Ping, stick with Sora!"

The nine warriors battled the heartless, being observed by the other soldiers and the captain, who was looking at them all with interest, though the ones observing him couldn't help that he seemed disappointed in Mulan's performance. Once the heartless were defeated, the captain approached the group, eyeing them all with interest. "You... what are your names?"

Hikari stepped forward at this, her voice sounding very convincing. "I am Hiro."

"Hiro?" Ren whispered to her.

"Roll with it", she hissed back before speaking to the captain once again. "This is my brother, Yuma. Our friends," she pointed to each person in turn at that. "Sora, Donald, Goofy, Ren, Tenmei, Shun and Ping."

The captain nodded at each of them in turn, but did not give such a nod to Mulan. "I am very impressed with... most of you. You!" he turned to Mulan, looking disappointed. "I recommend you go home."

Tenmei stepped forward. "Captain, I request you allow him to stay. He does have a lot of potential, if you'll give him a chance to prove himself."

The captain didn't seem too keen on the idea of Ping staying, but soon caved. "Very well", Shang stated, nodding at them. "He can learn much from powerful soldiers like you, but if I do not see enough improvement soon, then my current stance will stand."

"Don't you worry about that, Captain", Tenmei stated, nodding his head. "We'll have him whipped into shape in no time. In fact, give me the first mission with him, and we'll take care of it right way."

"Very well... we need you to scout ahead. It seems like there's more of those creatures blocking our way to the mountain. If you find any of them, clear them out", the captain ordered.

"Consider it done. Come along, Ping", Tenmei said to the soldier in question, and Mulan nodded dumbly before following after him, surprised the captain was so willing to listen to him without any more argument.

"And there goes Tenmei, flexing his prince muscles again", Yumi stated softly, before giving Hikari a glare. "And really? 'Yuma'?"

"I panicked, ok?" Hikari hissed at her, glaring right back. "Didn't see you jumping up with a name, Ms. Not-Appreciative-of-her-Older-Sister!"

"Well, I..." Yumi huffed angrily, realizing she had nothing to say to that. "We are not done here." With that, she stomped away, punching the first soldier that got too close to her in the face and immediately knocking them out as she stormed out.

"Oh, I think we are done here", Hikari muttered, smirking in victory before following after her sister, the grin still on her face.

Ren sighed, shaking his head and muttering something about never getting a break before he too followed after them. The captain had a lot of scouting for them to do, but it mostly just involved battling tons of heartless and checking areas outside of the camp. Eventually, however, all nine of them were gathered up and given their next mission. "Alright, we are about to move camp. There is a village up ahead, and I am trusting your group to lead the expedition. You all seem to understand those creatures' attack patterns, so I am trusting you to keep us safe from them."

"Yes, sir!" the nine warriors saluted, accepting the orders.

As the group began scaling the mountain, once they were clear of the camp and out of earshot, Yumi suddenly grabbed Hikari's shoulder and pulled her aside. "We need to talk", she stated bluntly, a "no arguing" expression on her face.

"Okay, okay, I am sorry I named you badly", Hikari muttered, not wanting to argue.

"It's not that! It's everything else!" Yumi growled out. "First, you get mad at me when I said I still trust Tenmei! Then, you keep your distance, even after we're separated from him and helping Sora out before we got knocked out! Then, you get mad at me because of my boobs that I don't even _want_, and have been on my case since we landed here! What is your deal, Hikari?!"

"I-" Hikari sighed, defeated. There was no hiding the fact that her attitude lately has not been pleasant. "Okay fine... I don't trust Tenmei, ok? I'm sorry, but I hate the darkness... and I'm surprised you don't keep your distance from him after that 'Dark Surge' shit took over his mental state... I'm trying to get over it, ok? It's just... slow going..."

"Oh...", Yumi responded, her tone going a bit softer. "R-right... but, he's trying, too, y'know? He's doing the best he can to help us out, even now. But that isn't all of it, is it? You've been... awfully attentive since... well, everything."

"I just don't want you hurt, that's all", Hikari muttered softly. "I can't really turn off protective sister mode, ya know... also sorry about the boob thing, I just... dunno what came over me there. Jealousy maybe..."

At that, Yumi gave a sigh. "I don't see why... these things are a _huge_ pain. Literally." She placed a hand on her back. "I've been aching since we woke up, and they get in the way when I was so used to how I was before. I would give _anything_ to have that back." She then looked up at Hikari. "Plus... I'm not a kid anymore, Hikari. You remember what I promised, as we were leaving Hollow Bastion? I'm going to get stronger, so that I won't be stuck crying while you and the boys save the day again. And in order to do that... you need to let me do my own thing. I appreciate you, I really do... but you're just being so... suffocating."

"Yeah, I'll try... sorry..." Hikari sheepishly stated, before looking ahead at where Ren was walking, a sigh escaping her suddenly.

Eventually, after a few heartless encounters and awkward glances from various members to others, they arrived at the small village that they were going to make camp at. As the soldiers unloaded and began making base, Mushu caught the attention of the nine friends, pulling them aside discreetly.

"I just saw Shan Yu go into that cave", the dragon reported, pointing to said cave just outside of the village. "Oh, this is too easy! Now all y'all gotta do is go in there and take him out now! Badda bing, badda boom, war's over and Ping is a national hero!"

"You sure it was Shan Yu?" Donald asked, eying the dragon suspiciously.

"Tall, dark, got a weird eye thing going and is best friends with a hawk?" Mushu countered, his hands resting on his hips. "Yes on all accounts! I wouldn't lie about something like this!"

"Well, let's go check it out!" Sora grinned, putting his hands behind his head. Mulan nodded, and they began to lead the group towards the cave in question. The five future warriors looked at one another, knowing the obvious trap, but also knowing that they _had_ to fall for it, before following after Sora with haste, as they had already fallen a bit behind. It didn't take long for the group to reach the end, and Mushu began gawking at how... empty it was.

"He was here, I know he was!" the dragon complained, looking very confused. The future warriors arrived just as Sora and Mulan got separated from the rest of the group, surrounded by Heartless.

"Well, this is inconvenient", Tenmei stated, crossing his arms. "Do we really have to sit here and wait for them to get free? It feels... lousy, not doing anything."

"Unfortunately, yes", Shun muttered, looking out towards the entrance of the cave where he could see the flames. "It sucks but unless you wanna risk a big future mess up..."

"Hey maybe Sora will actually give us a good show", Ren stated, crossing his arms as he got ready to observe the fighting.

As Sora and Mulan fought, Tenmei looked out towards the village. He had to close his eyes, and did his best to ignore the flames as Shan Yu attacked. But he couldn't help but be reminded of his own home, and could hear the screams of the hearts that Xao claimed. The other four seemed to fair no better, he noticed, and Hikari was practically shaking a bit in the frustration that they couldn't do anything about it. Eventually, Sora and Mulan defeated all the heartless, dispelling the barrier and racing out of the cave.

But by then it was too late.

Nothing but the charred structures of former buildings remained in the wake of the attack, though it seemed like no lives were taken in the attack. Ren looked around for a bit before touching a wooden frame, which instantly turned into ash before him. "This is..."

"Horrible", Hikari muttered, looking away.

Tenmei looked solid as a rock on the outside, but on the inside his heart was in turmoil. The ashes of the buildings looked too much like home, and as he looked at one of the charred wooden beams, he could have sworn he saw a face in the burned support, scowling at him in anger and hatred. He turned away, letting out a low, shaky breath so no one could see how much this affected him, and instead looked up the mountain. "Well, there's no tracks leading back down the mountain", he said aloud, mostly to distract himself. "If anything... I'd say he climbed up higher."

"Then, let's go!" Ren declared, nodding.

"I agree!" Sora chimed in. "It's time for payback for the village!"

The group climbed up the mountain for a awhile before they came to a slope in the mountain, where they could see the faint silhouette of Shan Yu standing higher on the mountain. He raised his jagged sword, and a swarm of the yellow Rapid Thrusters rose up over the horizon, staring down at them.

"Will you be okay?" Shun asked, looking over towards Yumi.

"That isn't nearly as much as what's waiting for us on Hollow Bastion", the redhead said, punching her fist into her shield as her gauntlet clanged. "I can handle this no problem."

"Good, because here they come!" Tenmei shouted, seeing the swarm descend upon them. There were quite a lot of them, that much was true, but thanks to the weak nature of these heartless, they were dispatched easily. Tenmei, to combat against them without a weapon, summoned what seemed to be a beam of light, which he used like a sword, striking down any of the Rapid Thrusters that got too close to him. Yumi and Goofy teamed up, their shield-play complimenting each other perfectly as they fought side by side. Even Sora seemed to have no trouble, jumping up and actually getting caught in the cloud of yellow heartless as he swung his Kingdom Key around, taking them out left and right.

Finally, the swarm was completely vanquished, and Mulan acted, racing forward and grabbing a firework cannon with a dragon head on it (as well as Mushu, whose screams of protests were ignored), firing it at the side of the cliff before them. For a second, nothing happened, before a huge rumble sounded out, and an avalanche of snow came down, burying Shan Yu alive.

"Nice job, Ping!" Hikari shouted in victory, grinning at her.

Ping panted, having had to pull Shang to safety, and the captain stared at her, impressed. "I guess I was wrong about you", Shang stated, smiling. "I'll make sure you get the highest honor when we see the emperor."

That was when Mushu had to open his big, toothy mouth.

"First she uses me as a lighter, then she fires me at a mountain!" the dragon groused, pulling himself out of the snow. "I can't take this anymore! Let's go home, Mulan, before you give me a heart attack, girl!"

"Mushu!" Sora hissed, but the damage was already done, as Shang stared at the dragon in shock.

"Mulan... a woman? It can't be..." However, when Ping didn't respond, Shang's expression twisted into one of anger and hurt. "You... you lied to me." With that, he walked past the group, pausing only to glare at them. "All of you are dismissed", he said loudly, for all the soldiers to hear. Tenmei could have sworn he heard Shang mutter something about "a life for a life" before calling out to his men. "The Emperor awaits! To the capital, soldiers! Move out!"

After the three soldiers that fought with Sora (and several men who looked completely exhausted) left the clearing, Yumi spoke up again. "Alright... can I FINALLY change out of this?!" she asked, looking about ready to collapse. "My chest can't take this anymore!"

Hikari sighed, turning to look at her, before giving a glare at the boys, rotating her finger as if telling them to turn around. They didn't need to be told twice, and after turning to stare out towards the city they heard Hikari snap her fingers, and a bright glow illuminated their surroundings for a brief moment, the relieved sigh of Yumi informing them it was alright to turn around again, where they saw that the girls were back to normal once again. "There... back to women... and I gotta say I'm happy to be back in my dress!" She grinned, putting her hands in her pockets again, muttering what strangely sounded like "It has pockets".

Yumi gave a sigh of relief, unzipping her hoodie. "I will never complain about my boobs ever again", she said, looking down at her "girls".

Mulan, meanwhile, had removed her armor, and undone the topknot in her hair, shaking her head to let it loose, before looking back at them all. "I'm sorry you all got in trouble because of me", she said, giving a sad smile.

"That's alright, but... what are you going to do?" Goofy asked, looking concerned.

"I... guess I'll just go home."

"Honey, your dad is gonna be more steamed than a dumpling", Mushu warned, giving Mulan pause.

The brunette warrior pulled his mage and knight friends into a headlock, giving a cheerful grin. "Don't worry, we'll take a fair share of the blame", Sora offered, with Donald and Goofy nodding in agreement.

"I wouldn't worry about that quite yet", Tenmei said, not having moved from his spot as he stared out over the city.

"What, you think Shan Yu is still alive?" Sora asked.

"I can sense hearts, so... yes", Ren stated, just as Shan Yu suddenly emerged from the snow, looking steamed, before he dashed off towards the side of the mountain, and began running down. "We've got to finish the job, boys and girls."

With Mulan no longer held back by the armor, it was now obvious she was more than capable a soldier than any of the men in the army. Even Tenmei and Ren were surprised by her skill and power, as she easily cut down any Heartless that got in her way.

"... that I was not expecting", Tenmei muttered to Ren.

"I was not either", Ren muttered back. "Then again, she was wearing stuff she wasn't used to, so..."

"Will you two focus?" Hikari asked, blasting a heartless in their path.

"Right, right." Ren muttered, rolling his eyes. Soon, they had caught up to the soldiers of the army, who were staring in shock and horror at the base of the Emperor's Castle. Shan Yu had beaten them all here, and had the emperor at sword point.

"Now, you will bow to me!" Shan Yu declared.

"No matter how hard the wind blows, the mountain cannot bow to it", the emperor said, unfazed by the man.

_Translation: Go 'F' yourself,_ Ren thought, a grin forming on his face at the comment. Before Shan Yu could attack, however, Shun had shot his gunblade, knocking the sword out of his hand. Shang moved instantly, grabbing the emperor and taking him inside, followed by the the other soldiers, leaving Sora and the others to handle Shan Yu, who had recovered his blade and looked pissed at the intruders.

"Sora, you got this one, right?" Ren asked.

"Leave it to me!" Sora declared, grinning. He ran forward, Donald and Goofy immediately by his side as they began their battle.

"So... what do we do now?" Yumi asked, looking around. "Doesn't seem like there's anything else for us to handle."

"I'm surprised he hasn't done anything here", Shun muttered, looking around as well. "But we just need to standby just in case..."

As it turns out, though, there wasn't any need. Sora and his friends defeated Shan Yu, making it safe for the Emperor to come out of his palace. He walked past his soldiers, standing before Mulan, who stepped forward, bowing her head.

"I've heard a great deal about you, Fa Mulan", he said, his voice and expression both stern. "You stole your father's armor, ran away from home, impersonated an imperial soldier. You lied to your captain and brought shame upon the army. And in the end..." That was when a warm smile stretched on the emperor's lips. "You have saved us all." With that, the soldiers were shocked as the emperor bowed forward, showing his gratitude to Mulan. Behind them, they could hear the cheer of the crowd that had gathered, and could even see the people of the city bow their heads in honor, as well. Even Tenmei quirked an eyebrow at that, smiling a bit.

"Guess this world is in good hands", he stated, looking over to Mulan.

"Can I get an autograph?" Sora asked their friend, nudging Mulan in a joking manner.

Shang stepped forward, Shan Yu's blade in hand as he presented the weapon to China's hero. "Take this", the emperor said. "So that the world may know what you have done for all of us."

"Seems like it's time for us to head out, then", Ren noted, watching as the sword began to glow, and Sora used it to open the next gate. "And of course, time for some more training, right girls?"

Yumi sighed, before reluctantly nodding. "Yeah... can't let Mulan hog all the glory, now can we, Hikari?"

Hikari sighed as well, before smiling a little. "Guess not. We need to show them that we're strong as well... you two play nice now!" She said, waving at Mulan and Shang, giggling to herself as they got flustered from the remark made towards them.

With that, the group returned to the ship, plotting out their next course... unaware of the trouble a certain Nobody was going to put them in.

**XxXxXxX**

**Man, if I keep up these stupid delays, KHIV will be out before we finish this story... sorry for making y'all wait!**


	17. A Beastly Castle

Yumi let out a grunt, her fist striking out at the punching bag provided for her. She continued practicing her jabs, being quick and light, but trying to punch as hard she could with each strike. Tenmei had discovered the different training modes, and told Yumi that, each day, she needed to spend between fifteen minutes and half an hour just wailing on these bags, which would help increase both her stamina and strength, and be a good way to start some cardio as well. So, for her first session, she felt pretty good as she heard the timer go off, signaling she was done. She gave a sigh, before looking over at Hikari. "How are you doing over there, sis?"

Hikari, meanwhile, blasted back a magical conquered training dummy with a Fira spell, sending it rocketing towards the other side of the room before it quickly re-spawned, where the blonde blasted it again, this time with a Thundera spell. She sighed in frustration before cursing loudly, and eventually being able to cast Blizzaga on the dummy. "...I don't get it. Why do my emotions have to be at a peak to cast Level 3 magic? It doesn't make any sense to me..."

Yumi walked over, watching her sister as she slung a towel over her shoulder. "You got me. I never understood magic, to begin with. You sure you don't want Tenmei to try giving any pointers?"

Hikari shook her head at that. "No... and no, it's not because I don't trust him", she defended, seeing Yumi's deadpan gaze. "The potential is there, no pointers are going to help with that. It's... more like a block. A block that makes me feel weak..."

"And 'Hikari is not weak', I know", Yumi finished for her, sighing. "I know you've always been the top student with Grandpa, so... this is new territory, for all of us." She placed a hand on Hikari's shoulder. "Maybe you should take a break? Obsessing over it like this isn't going to help."

"She has a point", Ren stated, walking over to them and having heard most of the conversation. "You can only do so much training before you wear yourself out, after all... take five and you can keep trying."

Hikari looked at Ren for a moment before she finally had to ask. "Did you struggle with Level 3 magic?"

"A bit", he admitted, shrugging. "Though, again, I was literally without a physical form to wear out so it was simple to adjust after some time. I had an... advantage, so to speak."

Hikari pouted, before facing Ren, fireballs appearing in her hands. "Hey, help me for a moment... then I'll take a break. Just do a bit of sparring. I want to remember what it feels like, ok?"

Ren sighed, shaking his head as he got ready himself. "Ok, but you really should just rest."

Hikari nodded in acknowledgement, then launched the two Fira spells at Ren, who effortlessly dodged them, not even taking his eyes off her. She launched a few more spells from her staff, which Ren continued to either dodge or block with his bare hands. The sorceress felt her teeth gritting in irritation, becoming annoyed with how easily he was nullifying her spells. She had worked on her magic for years to get it to where it was today, and Ren, in one year, had managed to somehow make her spells seem like a joke?

Finally, her emotions surged again, only this time they were focused on Ren directly. The way he looked so calm while dodging literal fire and thunder made her irritated, his apparent smugness radiating off him. She gritted her teeth, seeing him easily block a bigger fireball and not even bothering to avoid a thunderbolt, not even discomforted by her spell as her anger spiked.

"STOP TOYING WITH ME!" Hikari suddenly screamed, her staff glowing with an intense amount of light. Suddenly, she fired it all at once, causing a sound that almost resembled a bomb going off. Yumi, clutching tightly to her shield, was pushed back a bit by the shockwaves, and Ren's eyes widened in shock as the blast surrounded him. A column of light erupted where the spell had made contact, shielding Ren from view for a few moments. Hikari's eyes were wide in fear, until finally she saw Ren again, standing with both of his arms raised in an X formation across his body, the remnants of a Reflect spell vanishing around him.

And his jade eyes glaring directly at her.

"Break. Now", Ren commanded, and immediately Hikari did as she was told, sensing that Ren was not happy with her. Yumi walked over, watching the lecture with interest (and caution) from behind Ren. "That was seriously dangerous you know... you should never turn that high a level of magic on a friend, no matter what. Had I not used Reflega in time, I could have been seriously injured. In the future, use Holy only on heartless. Am I clear?"

"Y-yeah", Hikari sheepishly muttered, embarrassed about letting her emotions get the better of her _again_.

Ren gave an irritated huff, rubbing the back of his head for a moment before turning to show sudden interest in the training dummy, or what would have been one. Hikari's spell had vaporized it, leaving nothing but a big scorch mark and a remnant of a base, a jagged, hot-red cut showing where the target used to be.. "...although, if you want proof that you aren't weak... there it is." He then cleared his throat, giving a simple hand wave. "I'm going to go relax before we get there."

As Ren began to leave the room, Tenmei suddenly stepped in, his eyes wide and darting around in a panic. "W-What the _hell_ was that?!" he asked, sweating a bit. "I was just chatting with Shun and Sora when I _felt_ that spell!"

"I'll explain later", Ren muttered to him, placing a hand on his shoulder and almost forcing him out the door. "No seriously, I think your brain couldn't handle it right now."

As the door closed, the sisters could just barely hear Tenmei yelling, "What did Hikari do to that dummy?!" before they were left alone, leaving only an awkward, heavy silence as they processed what happened.

"Well... at least he won't toy with you anymore", Yumi finally said, breaking the silence. "Now he'll see you as the powerful, beautiful, older woman you are." She flashed a playful smile to her sister, expecting her sister to give at least a giggle, but after a moment, the toothy grin fell, as Hikari only stared at her lap, obviously distraught. "... Hikari?" Yumi asked, walking over and kneeling down so she could look her in the eye. "What's wrong?"

Hikari looked down for a moment before looking back up, her gaze focused on Yumi intensely. "Do you feel like Ren isn't... Ren? Like he's been replaced with someone else entirely? The old Ren probably would've still warned me about Holy, but screamed 'that was awesome' or something like that, the big goof that he was." Hikari smiled for a moment, almost imagining it happening before the smile faded. "Now? He's all serious... almost as if that part of him died when... when he was..." She couldn't bring herself to say the words, instead opting to look down once again.

Yumi gave a gentle sigh, before sitting next to her. "I get what you mean", she stated, preventing her sister from uttering the phrase she hated. "He and I used to have way more fun, learning together... but... something must've happened", Yumi told her. "We've been asleep for most of a year. A lot can happen in that time. Maybe something happened with Xao?"

"No, they keep telling me he's been quiet for the past year..." Hikari muttered, thinking it over. "It's... it's almost as if one of us died or something... I dunno how to describe it." A heavy sigh escaped her, as she looked at the door where Ren had just exited the room moments ago. "Maybe we can ask him about it later..."

"Maybe...", the younger sister said. "While we're at it... we can ask Tenmei why he seems so... gloomy when he thinks he's alone."

"Gloomy?" Hikari asked, looking over at her sister in confusion. "I mean, he's not using the keyblade anymore, that's one thing, but I don't really see him being 'gloomy'."

Yumi gave a gentle sigh, leaning her chin on one of her hands. "It's really subtle. Probably has something to do with years of practice, being a prince and all... but... I dunno, I've felt it since we came to this timeline. He's... he's not okay." She looked over at Hikari. "I mean, I know he wants to avenge our world, and he did have his Darkness kick, but- maybe I'm overthinking it, but... to me, it feels like... he's really hurting from everything that happened, you know? Twilight Citadel, Shun, Ren - every time something happens... I'm worried about him."

Hikari thought about it for a moment before she firmly nodded, standing up and offering a helping hand to her sister. "Alright then, we'll keep an eye on those two sour sports and see what we can do! You with me?"

Yumi gave her sister a smile. "Of course", she said, grabbing Hikari's hand and standing up. Then her nose wrinkled a bit, and she sniffed her own shirt, before blanching. "Eugh... and I'll get started on that right after I don't reek anymore."

Hikari finally let out a laugh, grinning as the two sisters headed for the showers.

XxXxXxX

Sora, Donald and Goofy were staring at the new world in wonder, as it was one that they had not been to before on their pervious journey. The world consisted of a single castle atop a floating platform, surrounded by a forest. The most interesting part of the world, besides the castle itself, was a singular rose, glowing with an ethereal pink haze that sprouted in front of the castle. Shun and Tenmei did not seem to express much emotion, merely looking up and staring at the world to acknowledge it's existance. It was Ren, however, that paled the second the world came into view. "Oh no..."

Tenmei immediately turned to him, and seemed to pick it up quickly. He gave a low sigh. "What did your Nobody do?" he asked bluntly.

"I am not too sure on the details", Ren muttered, still pale as he stared at the world. "But I stole a rose while I was here..."

At that, Tenmei blanched, and he wheeled on the other prince. "You did _what_?! You _do_ know who lives here, right?!"

"Yup", Ren nodded, before turning and beginning to power walk. "Well I think I'm going to go take a nap, you guys can handle this without me, right? OK bye!"

However, Tenmei was having none of it, and with a sudden increase in speed, got in Ren's way, pointing a ball of Darkness in his hand at the other boy, glaring. "Oh, no you don't", he said with a glare. "If we have to go through hell because of Rexn stealing his rose, then you are paying your comeuppance, _Renai._ Now, turn your green-eyed ass around and get ready to disembark."

_Rexn_? The sisters thought, hearing Ren's nobody name for the first time.

_Renai_? Sora, Donald and Goofy thought, puzzled by Ren's sudden real name reveal.

The other silver-haired boy had an expression of shock and hurt on his face for a moment. "I told you not to use my full name... ugh fine..." Ren muttered, turning and muttering something about how he trusted Tenmei and not even Xemnas knew his real name.

"Oh, hush, you big baby, I said it on the ship", Tenmei dismissed, crossing his arms as the orb faded, though his right hand still was wrapped in Darkness. "No one but us knows it now." He then turned to Sora. "And we will keep it that way, _right?_"

"S-sure, Tenmei", Sora said with a nervous chuckle.

"A-anything you say", Donald squawked, eying Tenmei's Dark Magic with a wary gaze.

"I think it's a good name", Goofy said with a chuckle, not at all intimidated. "But if he doesn't want us to call him that, Ren's just fine by me."

Ren only huffed, before he pressed the button on the ship which beamed him down the world below. He was followed closely by Sora and Donald, who wanted to get off the ship so they could escape Tenmei's glare at the moment. Goofy, on the other hand, only let out another "hyuck"before walking after his friends, showing no signs of being threatened at all.

Hikari, meanwhile spun on Tenmei, glaring a bit. "What the heck was that about? If you know Ren's real name, then you know how much he _hates_ it, don't you?"

"Of course I do", Tenmei immediately retorted, dismissing the spell as he let out a huff in an attempt to calm down. "I uttered it only to let him know that he _royally_ messed up. I have no intention of using his name against him, so you can relax."

"How would you even know it, anyway? It took _years_ for him to tell me, Yumi, and..." That was when a lightbulb went off in her head, and she turned slowly to Shun, who had stayed behind to watch the fireworks. However, once he realized that he was Hikari's target, the replica let out a nervous chuckle, before sprinting towards the teleporter.

"Asshole", Hikari growled, before storming off the ship after him.

Tenmei turned to Yumi, who still stared with confusion. "Shun called his Heartless that, trying to call him something else besides just plain 'Ren'. We then both learned that, even when he's split in half, Ren still hates that name with a passion... as evidenced by the holes in Shun's old cloak."

"I can see that happening", Yumi said with a giggle, before straightening her hoodie. "So, who's castle is this?"

"The Beast's", Tenmei said bluntly, finding no point in hiding that information. Yumi's eyes widened immediately, as she paled considerably. Then, her look became dark.

"... Ren's Nobody screwed us over, didn't he."

"Yep."

And with that, the last two disembarked, finding themselves in the grand entrance of the castle. The second they stepped in, Sora instantly saw a heartless scurry across the floor, and made a run after it. Ren sighed, knowing that the room contained the one object he really did not want to see right now, before following after him. "Might as well get this over with."

Tenmei gave a sigh, following as well. "Yumi, Hikari, with us. Shun, can you make sure none of the Heartless are able to go after the Beast's servants and guest?"

"Leave it to me", Shun nodded, prepping his gunblade and walking farther into the castle. "Good luck with the drama that results from this one."

The trio of Tenmei, Yumi and Hikari followed Ren and Sora into the room, where they could see Sora duking it out with swarms of heartless, and Ren fighting as well, but he seemed to have nestled himself into a nice little corner and showed no signs of wanting to leave anytime soon. Suddenly, a roar shook the foundation of the castle, and the door exploded open, revealing the beast to them all. Hikari and Yumi blinked, but suddenly found Ren's hand on their shoulders, where he pulled them back against the wall. And only a moment later, Tenmei was suddenly right next to them, pressed as tightly against the wall as he could.

"Beast!" Sora shouted, running up to greet him, only to be knocked aside by the creature. Donald and Goofy met the same fate, being smacked so hard they hit the walls and caused more vibrations. The beast walked up to a glass container, which Hikari saw contained a single, red rose, petals on the base indicating that the flower was wilting a tad. The beast turned and stormed up the room, before he sniffed, and glared at Ren.

"YOU! LEAVE!" he roared, before slamming the door behind him.

"Okay, wasn't attacked yet", Ren muttered, sighing.

"Don't breathe easy yet, you're going to have to face him and apologize for what Rexn did", Tenmei immediately told his companion, making Ren flinch. "We can't afford having him as our enemy if we have to come back here."

"I know that", Ren snapped, before sighing again. "Just not looking forward to it, is all."

"I know, I know", Tenmei conceded, sighing as well. "I'm sorry... just... I'm miffed that Rexn did this. I know it's probably one of the Organization members made him do it, but that's beside the point."

"Uh... question", Sora asked, raising his hand from his seat by the wall, still dizzy from the strike. "Who is Rexn...?"

"Ren's Nobody", Tenmei immediately answered. "He's not really, but... honestly, if we tell you right now, it's an extremely long story that we just don't have time to get into." He glanced over at Donald and Goofy, before sighing, raising his hand. The three of them were covered in a green light, before they got back up, back to full health again. "Now, shall we go check on Shun?"

Ren nodded, and lead the group out into the foyer and up the stairs, before taking a right and going to the East Wing of the castle, before proceeding to head towards the guest bedroom, only to be met by Shun being hugged very tightly by Belle, who had his head in her arms, hugging it to her chest, putting the boy in a _very_ uncomfortable spot.

"... should we come back later, or...?" Tenmei asked, genuinely confused at the sight.

"I do not know this woman and I am very weirded out right now help!" Shun stated rapidly in his panic. Hikari sighed, pulling him away from Belle and muttering something about him being a pervert, smacking him on the head once.

"Hi, Belle", Sora awkwardly greeted, grinning a bit.

"Sora! Donald! Goofy!" Belle greeted, smiling gently at them. "Oh, thank goodness... when your friend said he was here with you three, I just felt so relieved I... sort of hugged him without thinking. I'm sorry about that, Shun."

"You can make it up to me with some headache relief... and getting Hikari away from me", Shun muttered, stepping away from the blonde in question, who's glare was piercing him with such intensity that Tenmei was sure she would blast him with just her look alone.

"So, what's going on, Belle?" Sora asked. "Why is the Beast not acting like himself?"

"And why are there heartless here?" Donald quipped.

"I'm not entirely sure, myself", Belle explained, shaking her head. "It all happened not too long ago... the Beast started getting paranoid about his rose. I know it's important, but this was extreme, even for him. Eventually, he locked me in the East Wing, and I'm certain he's thrown all of his servants in the dungeon."

"Then we will need to go there first", Ren noted. "Once we rescue the servants, we can focus on calming the beast down... or, I can..."

Tenmei nodded. "Belle, you just stay here and wait for us. We'll make sure everyone's alright, and snap him out of his funk."

"Thank you... but please, don't hurt him", Belle pleaded. "I know he may not look it, but he's very kind and gentle... once you get to know him."

"You could've fooled me", Hikari muttered quietly to herself, shuddering at the thought of Ren having to confront the beast eventually.

After getting directions on where to go, the reunited group turned around, heading now for the West Wing. As they walked, the decor of the castle changed, becoming a more lit area with suits of armor lining the halls. Tenmei glanced over at the suits, giving an uncomfortable shift before he picked up his pace a bit. "So... where is the entrance to the dungeon, again?" he asked, glancing over at Ren.

"Over there... behind that weird wardrobe", Ren muttered, tilting his head at the new furniture. "Huh... that wasn't here last time."

"Well, let's push it", Sora bluntly stated, as if it was obvious, before he began to push on the side of the wooden structure, only to have it spring to life instantly.

"How dare you!" the wardrobe shouted, causing Sora to jump back in shock. "Where are your manners, young man!?"

"I-I'm sorry, miss", Sora stated, before looking back at Ren as if he should've warned him, though Ren also looked just as baffled as Sora did.

"Please excuse us", Tenmei said, pushing past Sora to immediately defuse the situation. The wardrobe now was glaring at the white-haired prince, but he seemed to take it in stride. "We're here to go to the dungeon. Belle asked us to help the Beast?"

At that, the wardrobe straightened up, her face lighting up a bit. "Well, why didn't you just ask from the beginning? I'm not just something to rearrange, like the furniture in your own room." After a slight pause, she had the decency to look sheepish. "Okay, that was a bad example... but you understand my point, right?"

"Of course, miss", Tenmei stated, smiling gently. The three original warriors stared as Tenmei continued his conversation, as if this was completely normal. "Though, I must admit... I've never seen a wardrobe talk before. Is this how you are? Or is it some form of curse?"

That made the wardrobe blink. "Um... yes, it is. How did you know?"

"Furniture normally doesn't speak", was the simple response, earning a soft titter from the cursed woman. "Would you mind telling us how this all happened?"

"Well, I would... but I think it's more important for you to save the others", the wardrobe conceded. "The dungeon is a terrible place for a clock to begin with... though I can't say he'd fare much better out here, with all those monsters mucking about."

"We'll take care of those, don't you worry", Hikari smiled gently at her. "Once we save your friends and calm the Beast down, that is."

The wardrobe nodded, before hopping over to the side, revealing the door. At that, Tenmei turned to the group, nodding. "Well, let's keep moving, shall we?" Though he paused, seeing Sora, Donald and Goofy all staring at him. "What?"

"How did you... do that?" Sora asked. "You didn't even let that phase you! I don't know anyone that can talk as smoothly as you!"

That made the prince scratch the back of his head, sighing. "Again... long story, not going to share now. We have some servants to save, I believe. We should really be focusing on them right now."

At this point, Yumi placed a hand on Sora's shoulder. "He's right, Sora. We'll tell you when the time is right, okay?"

"... Fine", the keyblade warrior conceded, before taking the lead again, heading into the dungeon. The group stepped in line after him, and eventually, they found themselves in front of a large, ornate door that depicted two monsters, each grasping the keyhole to the door defensively.

"Keep your eyes peeled", Tenmei warned, looking about. "I can sense a stronger Heartless in here..."

Sora grinned, looking at Tenmei for a moment before stepping forward. "Come on, Tenmei. There's no one in here!"

"Sora, wait!" Ren immediately said, but it was a bit too late for that. Suddenly, the ornate door transformed into a heartless, knocking Sora back in an instant. The brunette looked stunned, before getting up and summoning his keyblade.

"D-did that door just turn into a heartless?" Hikari asked, baffled.

"Yes. Yes it did", Shun muttered, shaking his head. "When Tenmei and Ren say they sense a heartless, they sense a heartless."

"You gotta teach me how to do that", Sora muttered, before charging into battle.

As the battle waged, Tenmei ended up becoming the supporting mage. Whenever a strike would get a bit too close for his liking, he ended up casting Barrier spells no problem, using his Light to counter the Thresholder. After eventually stunning the twin heartless beasts, Sora used his Kingdom Key to unlock them, turning their bodies to stone as a sphere of darkness was expelled, floating about the room.

"That's the heartless!" Yumi said with a glare. "Hikari, mind giving me a boost?"

Hikari only nodded, charging her spell. "Aerora!" she cried, casting a vortex on the ground. With a grunt, Yumi used the mini cyclone to launch into the air, striking the Possessor as she passed by it with her shield, before letting gravity add to the force of her punch, knocking the sphere to the ground. With it being stunned, it took no time for Sora and Shun to finish it off, both hitting it with an overhead strike and releasing the captive heart in the darkness. Without the influence of the heartless, the Thresholder's body crumbled into dust, leaving only a plain door with an indent where the keyhole used to be.

"Good thinking", Goofy complimented, walking over to Yumi with a smile. "Maybe I should be taking pointers from you."

"Heh, it was nothing", the redhead said, smiling happily at the praise. "I couldn't have done it without Hikari, though."

Hikari chuckled, scratching her cheek in embarrassment. "Aw, that? No big deal... anyway, let's go make sure the servants are ok. This place definitely does not seem like it's suited for life."

With a nod, Tenmei walked over to the door, pushing it open, and Sora and his two pals seemed confused when all they found was a candelabra, an antique clock, and a porcelain tea pot and matching cup, which had a chip in the rim. "There's... no one here?" he asked, looking confused.

"No, they're here", Tenmei responded. "Remember the wardrobe? The curse changed their shape, too."

Yumi stepped in, looking around. "Um... excuse us? Belle sent us. We're here to help you...?"

At that, the small pieces of furniture sprang to life. First was the candelabra, who immediately began hopping over. "You see? I told you they were here to help us!" it said, speaking in a very suave, french accent.

"Lumiere, you can't just expose yourself like that!" came an indignant retort, as the clock stepped forward, obviously not amused. "How do we know they're not tricking us? They could be with that man in the black coat!"

That was when the tea pot began to move, smiling warmly. "Oh, Cogsworth, you worry too much. They seam like fine young men and women."

"Hehe, that guy's hair is super spiky", piped up the cup, sounding very much like a young child.

Sora, Donald and Goofy were floored, staring at the speaking knickknacks with awe and wonder. Donald even picked up Cogsworth, wondering how a clock, of all things, was talking, but Tenmei soon came to the rescue yet again. "I assure you all, we are here to help. That man in the black coat is our enemy, and Belle did ask us to get you all out of here and help your master regain his senses."

"Is that so?" Cogsworth said, trying to ignore Donald messing with his pendulum. "Well, if that is the case, I would be more than happy to- Would you stop that?! Put me down!"

After being settled on a chair, Cogsworth explained not only the Beast's current predicament, but also the origin of their curse. It turns out, the Beast was once a human, but his selfish heart made him lash out at those he found unworthy, and even refused to help those who needed it. The last human visitor they had, besides Belle, was an enchantress, who cursed the castle so that it matched the appearance inside his heart. Not only did it warp the Beast and the castle, but all the servants, in turn, were forced to change their form as well.

"And so, we're on our last year before time is up", Lumiere finished. "The master must earn someone's love, and in turn learn to love another."

"And if he does so before the last petal on his rose falls, the spell will be broken", Cogsworth finished. "But, if he cannot..."

"Then you'll be stuck like this", Tenmei concluded. "Well, then it's a good thing he has such a kind guest living in his castle... but he'll be set back by what our 'friend' in the black coat has done. Do you know a way to his quarters, without us being noticed?"

"I know a shortcut", Lumiere declared, taking lead. "Follow me!"

Lumiere began leading them along with Cogsworth through the castle dungeons, down a series of dusty and narrow passages, before the group emerged in the West Wing, just outside the Beast's room. They could hear him growling about how the man in the black coat wouldn't leave, and something about that "kid" being back. Ren sighed, knowing that it was now or never, as he stepped forward. "Right... I'll handle this. Just back me up, ok?"

"Will do", Tenmei stated, stepping beside him. "I'll keep you from getting too hurt... though I can't promise I'll be able to keep him off you."

"If he hurts me, then he hurts me", Ren muttered, causing Hikari to look terrified. "It's no big deal." Ren sighed, stepping forward and entering the Beast's room, everyone else stopping in the door way. The Beast turned and snarled, before he stuck, charging forward and slashing wildly with his claws. Hikari let out a scream, but Ren caught both of the Beast's arms with his bare hands, a light glow surrounding him. "Beast... it's ok. We are here to help you!"

"Beast, it's me, Sora!" Sora shouted, trying to snap him out of it as well, but it was in vain. The Beast suddenly spun, slashing at Ren again, only this time he made contact. A bit of blood hit the floor as Ren got back up, three claw marks present on his cheek.

"Ok then..." Ren muttered, ignoring the muffled wail that Hikari gave from behind her hands. "Plan B." Ren charged this time, and jumped on the Beast. The two struggled for a moment before Ren had the Beast pinned on the ground, his jade eyes turning and looking at Cogsworth. "Hey! I need you to talk to him!"

Cogsworth stepped forward to look the Beast directly in the eyes. "Master! Please calm down! Compose yourself!"

The Beast snarled, still attempting to fight back, but soon a green glow surrounded Ren and the Beast, as Tenmei stepped forward. The magic felt calming, and while it was still a Cure spell, it seemed to do more than just heal the wounds on Ren's cheek. He placed his hand on Cogsworth, helping him out by infusing the clock with Light magic, and with a final cry, Cogsworth eventually broke through to the furry master of the castle, who finally stopped struggling. It took a few moments, but soon the Beast's blue eyes blinked and looked to Cogsworth in confusion.

"W-what... what happened?" he growled out, glancing around. He spotted Ren, and for the first time, didn't recognize him. "You... I thought you were..."

"You can call that my evil twin if you want", Ren muttered, letting the Beast out of the hold he had him in, and helping the master of the castle to his feet. "But he's gone now... I saw to that."

The Beast let out a low "hmph", before he bowed his head a bit. "I... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been..."

"Think nothing of it", Tenmei stated, stepping forward and placing a hand on his shoulder. "You're safe, Ren is safe, and the rose is safe. Now... would you tell us what happened?"

At that, the Beast's eyes flashed with anger. "Xaldin... he's the one who did this... he took all of my fear, my sorrow, my mistrust... and turned it into rage." He looked at Cogsworth and the group standing at the door. "I... I'm sorry for what I've done. I've... been terrible to you."

"Not so much us, but at least you understand that", Hikari pointed out. "Now, I think you have someone else to apologize to, don't you?"

At that, the Beast nodded. "Belle... I've mistreated her..."

"She didn't say anything about that", Sora mentioned, confused.

"Of course she wouldn't... she is far too kind." With that the Beast straightened up. "I... I don't know what I'll say."

"We'll think about it as we head over to her room", Tenmei offered. "But the important part is you admit you made a mistake."

With a curt nod, the Beast joined the party, and they began their trek back to the East Wing. However, they were only halfway there when they heard Belle's voice cry out, muffled by a door.

"I-I'm warning you, you'll be sorry!"

At that, the Beast stepped forward, anger in his eyes. "Belle?!"

"Beast! I'm in the ballroom!" came the reply, and without waiting, they burst into said ballroom, the orange glow of the lights revealing the heartless that was chasing her. After locking herself on the balcony outside, the Shadow Stalker turned to face it's new opponents. It's body was simply a sphere, with two yellow eyes and a big, jagged mouth. Three tentacles sprouted from the top, with one sticking out of the bottom, and it's entire body was wrapped up in heavy, golden chains.

"Leave it to me, guys!" Sora boldly stated, charging forward with Donald and Goofy, Kingdom Key drawn and raised for battle. The trio fought the Shadow Stalker, and Ren noticed that it was possessing everything within sight at random, from the light fixtures, to the pillars and walls, to even the windows. FInally, Sora landed what normally would have been a fatal blow, but that's when they instantly noticed that something was wrong. The Shadow Stalker twitched and looked like it was going to die, but suddenly it began to change rapidly. It assumed the Dark Thorn form, only the flaming orange hair it once had was blue, along with it's claws. The once golden chains took on a platinum coloration, and the blueish lines on the body took on a blood red coloration, along with the eyes of the beast.

"That's... not supposed to happen", Shun muttered, drawing his gunblade instantly, recognizing the magic used on the heartless.

"Xao", Ren muttered. "So, after a year of being silent, he's at it again."

"Who?" Sora asked, confused at the mention of Xao's name.

"Same long story as before, Sora", Tenmei stated once more, stepping up as he summoned a blade of light into his hand. "Look, we'll handle this one, Sora. Thanks for weakening it a bit."

"Hey, come on!" Sora whined, looking at them all as they stepped forward, pulling out weapons. "Aren't we in this together?"

"Sora", Ren said, turning to look at him. "Xao is our enemy, and since he is the one that manipulated that heartless, we need to handle it. Besides, Donald and Goofy got injured in the last fight. We need you to watch over them, ok?"

"Oh... alright", Sora sighed, crossing his arms. "But next time, ok?"

"Ok", Hikari rolled her eyes, staring at Xao's new creation. "Alright guys, let's do this!"

Yumi was the first to charge in, getting the Black Thorn's attention. When it moved to strike, she began blocking the beast's attacks, leaving her unable to move as it bared down on her. But Tenmei immediately offered support, using his light blade to strike at the monster with amazing speed and accuracy. Soon, it had to jump back, and take a new approach, and with a sudden wave, it vanished into nothing.

"It has camouflage?" Tenmei groused, gritting his teeth. "And I thought Stealth Sneaks were annoying..."

"We're going to need to do a large amount of damage on it to even get a chance at finishing it off", Shun stated, looking around the room in a panic, trying to find where the heartless would pop up next.

Ren turned to Hikari, giving her a curt nod. "Remember what I said before? Well, it's a heartless."

Hikari paled a little, "But... I'm not sure I can do that again. My emotions, they're..."

"An obstacle that you can overcome, just like all the rest", Ren encouraged her, giving her another nod. "You charge that Holy spell, I'll try and get it out into the open, ok?"

Hikari nodded, holding her staff up and sighing. "Alright, I'll try."

Ren charged forward, and due to the advantage of being able to sense hearts, he was quick to make contact with the creature. It roared in pain, being hit multiple times by the keyblade before it appeared again, dazed from the strikes. "NOW!"

Hikari slammed her staff on the ground, beams of light forming off of it, along with a runic pattern on the ground in a array of golden light. She opened her eyes, and pointed her staff directly at the heartless, before letting out a cry. "Divine Light!" A blast of light energy shot from her staff again, and Ren jumped off the heartless just in time. An explosion of light surrounded the heartless, causing it to scream in pain, and once the light had vanished, so too had the heartless.

At that, the rest of the group let out sounds of awe, clearly impressed... except for Tenmei. His eyes had widened to the size of dinner plates, and his jaw had dropped, threatening to hit the floor. "W-w-wait... was... was THAT...?!"

"Level 3 Holy Magic", Ren smirked, walking up to Hikari and placing a hand on her shoulder. "I knew you could do it, Hikari."

"T-thanks, Ren", a blushing Hikari said, looking down as she played with her hair. "I-it was nothing, really..."

"NOTHING!?" Sora shouted, his jaw also dropped. "You are the most powerful mage I've ever seen!"

"Hey!" Donald shouted, clearly offended by the remark. "I could've done that too!"

"I mean, he can... but it's too exhausting to keep casting spells like that", Goofy pointed out.

Tenmei kept staring at Hikari, now an expression of fear on his face. Yumi stepped closer to the former prince, frowning at him. "Uh... Tenmei?"

At that, he yelped and jumped, looking over at Yumi, before taking a few steps to the side, keeping some distance between them. "U-uh... I... I think I need... some time to myself", he said, shaking a little bit. "Hikari... I don't think you need any more pointers... and Y-Yumi... just keep up with the punching bag... I... I'm going to take a nap." And before any of the group could ask what his problem was, he immediately vanished, beaming himself back up to the ship.

"I told him his brain couldn't handle it right now", Ren smirked, laughing. The rest of the group soon joined in at that, before they said goodbye to the Beast, Belle and all the servants, getting ready for whatever the next world had in store for them.

**XxXxXxX**

**... remember that joke I made about KH4 coming out before this fanfiction is done? I haven't touched this in so long, I'm, like, 75% sure that'll happen.**

**Sorry for being silent for so long! I've been busy with a lot of other things and just never had the time to work on these chapters! Blood and I have also been working on other projects as well, and that kinda pushed our stories on the back burner, but have no fear! We'll be working on these a bit more in the future! I'm already working on retyping and editing some future stuff right now, as a matter of fact!**

**Thanks for reading, and hope to hear what y'all think soon!**


	18. Out of this Underworld

"Well, never thought I'd be back here..."

Ren looked around, finding himself standing on a familiar stain glass platform that he come to when we received Twilight's Balance for the first time. He looked down, seeing that Sora and his friend have been added to the platform as well, and Ren couldn't help but smile as he walked forward, looking around for a moment or two. "Alright, so I got here somehow in my meditation... but now what do I do here?"

That's when he noticed that the stain glass platform having new people on it was not the only thing that had changed. He squinted, seeing that there was a grey door off in the distance, off the platform. Ren ran up to the edge, looking out to where the door stood, and gave a heavy sigh. "Okay... so, that's new... but how do I get over there?"

He frowned, scratching his cheek, but suddenly he felt as if he was no longer alone. He whipped around, summoning his keyblade before laying eyes on the intruder. Standing there was a figure in an Organization XIII cloak, coming up to about his shoulder in height. Ren looked at the figure confused for a moment before he spoke. "W-who are you? How did you get in this place?"

The figure only smiled, before stepping forward. Ren stayed in his battle stance, but did not strike, even when the figure was directly in front of him. Ren dismissed his keyblade at once, for some reason feeling calm and trusting of the figure, even when said figure grabbed his hand.

And began to walk towards the end of the platform as if they were able to walk off.

"Whoa, it's dangerous!" Ren shouted, though to his surprise, the second her heeled boot stepped off the platform, a small stain glass step appeared out of nowhere. She turned to him, tugging on his hand as if motioning for him him to follow. Ren, despite seeing nothing but emptyness in front of him, obeyed the touch of the figure. The two walked, more platforms appearing with every step she took, until finally the two of them were at the door. She reached out, grabbed the handle, and opened the door, before suddenly pulling Ren forward and pushing him into the door.

"H-hey!" Ren shouted back at her, turning, but for some reason the figure was gone as quickly as she came, leaving Ren alone in this new room. He grumbled a bit about not knowing who she was, before he turned and gasped at what he saw. He was on another, large stain glass platform, only this one had Master Hiroto in the center, surrounded by Ren, Hikari, Shun, Yumi and Tenmei's faces, and above them all was King Yami's calm expression. Twilight Citadel's castle seemed to be in the background, and the platform was entirely golden and white in color. Ren blinked, baffled at what he was seeing, and what it could mean, before he closed his eyes, forcing himself out of the dream.

Ren groaned a bit, finding himself now lying on his bed. He must've fallen over as he meditated, and somehow ended up in the Station of Awakening again. HIs thoughts were like a wild fire currently, wondering who the girl in the Organization XIII cloak was, what she was even doing in his Station of Awakening, and how Master Hiroto's station had become connected to his. Ren muttered something about needing to talk to someone, before walking out of his room and heading by instinct to Tenmei's room, knocking on the door just as he approached.

After only a couple moments, Tenmei opened up, his silver hair pointed in a few different directions than normal, having just woken up. "Ren? What's going on? You look troubled", he stated, quirking an eyebrow.

"I ended up in my Station of Awakening again", Ren stated, walking into the room. "And I need to talk to you about what I saw there..."

Tenmei tilted his head, confused, but soon nodded. He closed the door behind him, locking it so the girls, Shun, or Sora couldn't interrupt, and walked back over, taking a seat at his desk, his sketchbook opened on it. "Alright... what happened?"

"When I was in there, I saw a grey door", Ren began to explain. "But it was off my platform and I couldn't really get to it... suddenly, a strange girl wearing an Organization XIII cloak appeared, and she kinda... grabbed my hand."

"An Organization cloak... did she have any distinguishable features?" Tenmei asked. "Hair color, eye color, anything?"

"I couldn't really tell you, I only saw her lips", Ren stated, before placing his hand next to his shoulder as if someone was standing there. "But she came up to here on me, so no... it wasn't the Mega-Bitch."

"I'd hope not. She's anything but gentle, so I doubt she'd do anything to help", Tenmei pointed out. "Anyway... she grabbed your hand, and then...?"

"It was if she was able to navigate my heart better than I could", Ren stated, imagining what was happening. "Each step she took spawned a platform up to the door, before she opened it and pushed me in... then she was gone... but that's not the weirdest part... Tenmei, that door lead me to Hiroto's Station of Awakening."

At that, Tenmei's eyes widened. At the mere mention of his old teacher's name, Tenmei could feel the rush of emotions, and he took a moment to calm himself. His hands curled into fists on his desk, and Ren, understandably, waited for his friend. Finally, he spoke up. "Was... was he...?"

"I didn't get a chance to explore, let alone even see if he was there. I got pulled out before I could", Ren explained, before looking at his left hand. "But... if his station is connected to mine, could I...?" Ren held out his left hand in front of him, focusing. Suddenly, the familiar bronze keyblade, with star shaped teeth and a platinum, square handle, appeared from nowhere, causing Ren to look at the blade in shock.

"Dreams of the Kingdom..." Tenmei breathed out, his eyes shining with tears again. "... he really did connect to you." Hastily, the former prince wiped his eyes dry, staying silent for a moment out of respect. Finally, he spoke again. "Well, this is important to ask, then... do we tell Hikari and Yumi about this?"

"I might have to eventually", Ren stated, looking at the keyblade for a moment before dismissing it. "Especially if I can somehow talk to him... we might want to let them... ya know, say goodbye. As for now, though, let's keep it a secret. Once I figure out more of what is going on, or why Hiroto and I are even connected like this, we can tell them then."

"Alright", Tenmei agreed. "Then I'll trust you on this. No need to get their hopes up too quickly, after all." He looked back at Ren's left hand, where the keyblade had been, before sighing. "We still have some time before we arrive at our next world... Olympus Coliseum, if memory serves correct. Can you check on the girls for me? I'm not quite ready to go out and face them yet."

"Scared Hikari will nuke ya?" Ren asked, chuckling at Tenmei's sheepish grin and walking towards the door. "Yeah, I'll check on them."

"Thank you", Tenmei said gratefully, bowing his head a tiny bit to his friend. But that embarrassed espression soon dropped after his door was shut, and he stared back down at his sketchbook. There, in its infamous glory, was the blade Xao had been wielding. While forever ago he had determined that he had accurately depicted the weapon, his hands had been unable to stop. Now, while the base sword was, of course, depicted as accurately as he could place it, he had found that he added more decorations, and had even added a different hilt to the handle, curving downwards and wrapping around the grip like a keyblade's. And the subtlest formation of teeth was added to the blade's tip, something that put him in extreme unease.

"First Hiroto... now this..." he muttered, placing his hands on his head. "What... made that appear in my dreams? And... why, every time I see it... does it look more like a keyblade?" As he stared at the weapon, a feeling of pure dread filled his heart, and eventually, he couldn't bear to gaze at it any longer, and shut the book, his hand visibly shaking. "What the hell is Xao doing?"

XxXxXxX

It didn't take long at all for them to arrive at the next world. Once Sora parked the ship and disembarked, Ren turned to Shun. "Hey, go get Tenmei. He's probably still in his room."

"What?" Shun asked, glaring a bit. "Why do I have to get him?"

"Because Hikari and Yumi just stepped off the ship, too, and someone's gotta make sure they're alright after they get their rude awakening in the Underworld", Ren stated, pointing to the console. With one quick glance at the screen, Shun realized his friend was right; while Sora, Donald and Goofy seemed to have no problem traversing the darkest part of the world (though one look at their faces told the replica that they knew something was off), Yumi and Hikari both took one step forward and promptly collapsed to the ground, looking like they had suddenly gotten sucker punched as they struggled to get back on their feet... and failing miserably.

"... good point. I'll go get Tenmei so he can save his girlfriend", Shun said with a snicker, and while Ren only nodded in response before stepping off the ship as well, the replica could spy the faintest hint of a smirk on his face at the joke.

It only took a minute to get to the room in question, but Shun paused. Honestly, at this point, it felt weird for him to be calling on Tenmei. A couple years ago, all Shun cared about was fighting Ren and proving he was the better of Hiroto's students. The prince of Twilight Citadel had barely even registered on his radar until Hikari suddenly found the possibility of meeting Prince Tenmei interesting.

Then, of course, his stint with his "father" did not exactly have the two on good terms.

In all honesty, Shun was certain that Tenmei would hate him for the rest of his life, for what he had done. Then, one day after he had fully recovered, the prince surprised him with what was, at the time, the kindest gesture he could have ever received.

X 1 X Year X Ago X

_"Shun, I need you to fight me."_

_The replica flinched in surprise at the words, and looked up at Tenmei from his chair with a wide-eyed gaze. "What?"_

_"You need to come outside with me and fight me", Tenmei told him, motioning to the back door of their temporary home in Hollow Bastion. "I've cleared out some space in the backyard. Come on, I don't have all day."_

_Shun blinked, but soon found himself following the former prince outside. True to his word, the prince had cleared out as much of their yard as he could, giving them a nice, open space for them to duke it out. Once the two took their positions, Tenmei surprised him by charging forward, holding his blade of light. It wasn't a particularly strong strike, but the sudden attack made the gunblade wielder have to parry in a panic, and the prince only continued his assault._

_For fifteen minutes straight, the two duked it out, with Shun barely able to keep up. But what surprised him the most was what Tenmei was shouting at him. Unlike their fights before, the prince wasn't yelling insults at himself or Xao, trying to rile him up._

_He was shouting advice over the sound of metal striking metal._

_"Keep your legs spread when you're parrying! If I hit you too hard, that parry is gonna turn into you getting knocked over!"_

_"Adjust your grip on overhead strikes! Lead with your dominant hand and bring them together to add more force as it strikes downward!"_

_"You're not strong enough to tank flurries like that! Against quick enemies like that, your best bet is to dodge unless you know how strong your opponent is!"_

_Finally, the two stopped their battle, and Shun was on the grass, supporting himself on his hands and knees and panting profusely, while Tenmei seemed only slightly winded._

_"Right", Tenmei stated with a couple deep breaths. "Not bad for a first lesson. We'll pick this up tomorrow."_

_"W-what?!" Shun practically yelled, flabbergasted and exhausted. "Th-that... that was combat practice?!"_

_"Of course", Tenmei stated, tossing Shun a High Potion to help him regain his stamina. "I did say that I would help you grow stronger, right? And, obviously, my last teaching session... well, was lacking when it came to you." The prince gave a bit of a shrug, startling Shun with how calm he was. "You're more hands-on, aren't you? You won't learn anything unless you actually fight me."_

_Shun's jaw dropped. Out of all the things Tenmei could have done, this was the furthest thing from his mind. And even after all this time, he still took notes of what Shun's strengths and weaknesses were."Y-you're willing to teach me? After all I did?"_

_Tenmei paused at that. The replica did bring up a good point. But he shook his head, his lips stretching into a gentle smile as his gaze softened._

_"You may have abandoned the Path of Twilight, Shun.. but the path never abandons its students." The prince then turned around, heading back inside. "Practice what I told you, and fight me again tomorrow, alright? We'll go into Dark techniques once you're all warmed up from swordplay."_

X Present XxX Day X

Shun smiled a bit at the memory, but shook his head. Now was not the time for memories; they had a job to do. With a sharp rap of the knuckles against his door, the gunblade user spoke up. "Tenmei? We're in hell. Literally. Sora took a wrong turn and parked us in the underworld at Olympus."

The prince, inside his room, gave a sigh, before nodding, deciding he spent more than enough time alone with his thoughts. "I'll be out in a minute..." He looked up at the mirror, seeing his hair was still sticking out in odd directions, and let out an irritated huff. Walking over to it with a brush, he quickly neatened everything, so not a single hair was out of place, before he opened the door, following Shun to the deck of the ship, staring at the screen. "Did the others leave without us?" he asked, noticing the distinct lack of people.

"Yeah, Sora wanted to go on ahead and jumped right off", Shun stated, chuckling. "As for Ren, Hikari and Yumi... well, they're just outside the ship, and the girls aren't moving at all, so Ren is waiting with them."

"... I think I know why", Tenmei groused, sighing. With that, they stepped off the ship, and sure enough, Hikari and Yumi had both managed to adjust themselves, sitting back to back to support each other. "You two okay?"

"It hurts to breathe", Hikari whimpered, looking weakly up at Tenmei. "It hurts to move, it hurts to talk... it hurts to _exist!"_

"I don't get it... why can Sora move so easily when it hurts to even look around?" Yumi groaned, weakly raising her hand a bit.

"Because unlike you two, Sora, Donald and Goofy have more darkness in their hearts", Ren explained. "You two are practically Princesses of Heart with how much light you have in your hearts, so being in a dark place like this will either make you immune to it's effects completely, or suffer greatly... and the latter seems to be what is taking effect."

"So... what about you three?" Hikari asked weakly.

"Uh... half Darkness?" Ren pointed out.

"And I use Darkness, so..." Shun stated, shaking his head with an exaggerated shrug. "What do we do, now? We can't just leave them here."

Tenmei looked around, seeing that Sora was helping a woman in a purple toga, before a glimmer caught his eye behind them. He turned to see a grand staircase, a great amount of light shining from above the clouds that obscured their view. "There", he said, pointing to the otherworldly light. "That must take us to the actual coliseum. We'll bring them over there so they can recover."

Ren sighed, picking Hikari up and beginning to carry her towards the steps, which would normally cause the blonde to blush but the pain seemed to be preventing her from even knowing who was carrying her, as she muttered "put me down Shun I can walk... ok no I can't".

"But I'm over here..." Shun muttered in confusion.

Tenmei, meanwhile, had a bit of a rougher time. While Yumi was too out of it to even feel embarrassed about being carried princess-style, Tenmei had a tough time keeping his eyes forward, seeing as with how she was angled, her breasts were pressing a bit against him. Fortunately, his fear of Hikari's wrath kept him from being too distracted. "S-Sora!" he called out, looking over to him. "We found the way to the Coliseum! You coming?"

"In a bit!" Sora replied, shaking his head. "I have to take care of some stuff first!"

"Alright, we'll be waiting for you!" Tenmei yelled back, before beginning his climb back up the stairs. Eventually, the future warriors made their way back to familiar ground, as the nostalgic look of the statues in front of the arena filled their vision and the light shone down upon them.

Hikari gave out a massive sigh of relief, practically melting in Ren's arms and making it harder for him to hold her. "Sweet light, I love you!"

"You're welcome", Ren sighed, putting her down on the steps to the Coliseum so that she could sun bathe. A loud squawk caught his attention, and he turned and bit his cheek to keep from laughing at Tenmei, who had attempted to do the same... only to be caught up in a rather embarrassing embrace, the red-head sister practically shoving his face into her bosom.

"I feel like all my worries are melting away... this feels so nice", Yumi said in her daze, not realizing what she was doing as she sighed happily.

"Uh... R-Ren, Sh-Shun, a little h-help here?" Tenmei squeaked nervously, a tone that was definitely out of character for him.

Hikari blinked, coming back to her senses a bit, before looking over to see Yumi holding Tenmei by the neck and not letting him go. With a slight smile, she reached over and ran her fingers lightly on Yumi's side, causing the girl to yelp, releasing Tenmei's neck in her attempt to stop her sister. "H-Hey, what the-!?" Then she blinked, looking around. "W-when did we get here?"

Tenmei had stumbled back, catching his balance before he fell over, but now his face was bright red, even redder than it had been when Yumi was simply burying his face into her chest. He coughed, turning away to hide the massive blush. "Uh... th-thanks, Hikari", he stuttered, trying to gain his composure back with little success.

"No problem", Hikari said, looking up at the sky. "Sorry we might not be much help here, guys... I'd rather not go back down there right now."

"No worries", Ren shook his head. "You two can stay up here, while we go assist Sora... though you might wanna think of a way to counteract the Underworld before we get what we need to be at full power down there, since we might need to go down there again no matter what."

Yumi, who at this point had curled up a bit to keep her sides defended, only groaned a bit. "So, let my sis figure out a spell that keeps us safe... got it."

"And next time, don't shove Tenmei into your 'girls'", Shun teased, grinning before he walked back towards the door to the Underworld, followed by Ren. "Come on, Tenmei!"

Tenmei only nodded mutely, too embarrassed to say much else. Yumi, who's face was almost as red as her hair, turned on Hikari, an angry/humiliated glare on her features. "W-what the heck was that for?!"

"What? I was only saving your prince from your death trap", Hikari teased, smirking at her. "Say 'thank you'."

"Oh sure", Yumi retorted, puffing her cheeks as she pouted. "Thank you, _dear sister_, for exposing my biggest weakness to the Prince of Twilight! He was the only one of us who didn't know about me being ticklish _and you ruined it for me!"_ she hissed, obviously upset.

"You're welcome!" Hikari simply said, grinning, either missing her sarcasm, or ignoring it entirely to continue teasing her. The latter more likely, Yumi bitterly realized.

Meanwhile, as the trio of boys walked back to the underworld, it was Shun who noticed that Tenmei was definitely lagging behind And it was obvious to see why, as his entire face was practically glowing with how pink he had turned. "You alright back there, dude?" Shun asked finally, tired of the silence.

"...'m 'kay", the former prince muttered, scrunching his neck a bit more and making himself seem a bit smaller than normal. Even Ren noticed now that Tenmei was acting more like a shy child than the usually confident prince they had come to know.

"You don't know how to act to what happened with Yumi?" Ren asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked behind him.

Being reminded of what happened cause a tiny wince, and reluctantly, the prince nodded, closing his eyes. "Y-yeah... I... I've never... f-faced stuff l-like that before..."

Shun looked confused for a moment, before smirking all of the sudden, realizing something. "Oh... you dunno about the birds and the bees, huh?"

"Shut up, Shun", Ren warned him, rolling his eyes. "We have a job to do, remember?"

At that, however, Tenmei looked up, his eyebrow quirking. "What does birds and bees have to do with what just happened?"

Even Ren had to stop walking at that, turning slowly to look at Tenmei, with Shun also looking at Tenmei with a baffled look. It was Shun who spoke next, his pitch slightly higher in shock. "Y-you really don't know!? Come on, dude! The birds and the bees... the light and the darkness... the heartless and the nobodies!"

"I think you're only confusing him more", Ren pointed out.

"All of my lessons had something to do with politics, war tactics, combat, problem solving, and the fine arts", Tenmei pointed out, obviously looking confused and upset. "I was also keeping with tradition and forbidden from leaving the citadel, and kept that promise until Yumi managed to sneak in and meet me face to face. I was supposed to get more lessons after my coronation, but we all know how _that_ turned out..."

Ren and Shun blinked, with Ren shooting Shun a warning look, though it seemed to be ignored by the elder boy, who only put an arm around Tenmei's shoulder. "Don't worry, man! I can give you those lessons!"

"That is literally the worst idea I've ever heard", Ren bluntly stated, causing Shun to look at him offended.

"I'm going to go with Ren on this", Tenmei said, gently brushing off Shun's hand. "I... think I'd rather ask someone who is more knowledgable... like maybe Merlin or something... he might give me an idea of what I'm supposed to know without oversharing. This is a lesson that needs to be handled with care, if Ren's reaction is giving me any hints."

Defeated, Shun muttered something about how they should catch up to Sora, and thankful to be off the topic, Ren continued to lead the trio towards the deepest parts of the Underworld. Eventually, they had caught up to Sora, who was standing before a narrow, winding path that lead up to a dark, floating fortress that looked like a skull, fused into the wall of the Underworld. "Hades, come out!" Sora demanded, glaring as he looked around the Valley of the Dead.

"I don't think he's going to listen to the demands of someone in his domain", Tenmei offered, by now having recollected himself and now putting on the confidence he usually had.

"So we either go up there and demand to talk to him, or we-" Ren stated, before he was cut off by Sora beginning to run up the pathway to where the cavern entrance was. "And there he goes."

Tenmei let out a groan, before taking off, Shun and Ren following closely behind. Just as they caught up with Sora, Donald and Goofy, they came to see Hades, Lord of the Dead, locked in combat with a mysterious man, dressed in red with a scar over his right eye, a rather large sword being swung about... with only one hand.

"Okay, I know some of these guys are insanely strong, but this is getting ridiculous", Shun pointed out, as Sora summoned his Keyblade.

"Hades!" Donald yelled out, brandishing his staff.

"You again?!" the fiery god sputtered, surprised by them, before the warrior in red managed to break their clash.

"Fight", the man commanded, looking over at the six of them, before attempting to attack again, but this time Hades was ready, easily blocking his strike and knocking him onto the ground, stunning him temporarily. While the man in red recovered, Sora attempted to fight, but found his weapon was completely useless.

"Something's wrong" Donald whined, taking a few steps back.

"I feel kinda funny..." Sora admitted, also unsure.

"Oh, that's right. See that's the thing. Down here in the Underworld, heroes are zeroes", Hades quipped, his red glow returning to a pale blue as his mood improved, smirking. "Comes with the territory."

"Sora, take that guy and go!" Ren command, stepping forward and summoning his keyblade.

"But I gotta talk to Hades!" Sora shouted back at him.

"What was that?" Hades mocked, sticking his fingers in his ear and going wide eyed at the ceiling, as if pretending Sora was not there. Enraged, Sora charged again, only this time the man in red grabbed him and began to pull him away, with Donald and Goofy in tow. Tenmei and Shun both watched for a moment, before they took turned tail and fled. Hades launched fireballs at them, but Ren deflected them all, staying behind for the others to make their escape.

"You can't fight me, kid", Hades grinned, staring Ren down. "You're only sacrificing yourself in vain."

Ren smirked at that, "I'm only _half_ hero, Hades... but you're right. I still can't fight you." WIth that, Ren waved mockingly, disappearing into a dark corridor, and reappearing right in front of Sora and the others as they ran. "Hi guys!"

"What the-?!" Sora yelped. "Don't do that!"

"Less screaming, more running, please!" Tenmei yelled, as they made their way out of the Valley of the Dead, taking a break in the next area once they were sure Hades wasn't following them. Ren was serving as lookout, while the others caught their breath.

"Th-thanks for the save, Ren", Sora panted, looking up at him. "But that could've gotten you seriously hurt you know!"

"Not really", Ren replied, baffling Sora, who only looked at him as if he was nuts. "Don't take too long, though. We aren't done yet."

"Why, what could be-" Shun began to ask, but his answer came in the form of a giant, black three headed dog leaping in front of them, snapping with all three of its jaws as it stared them down. "Alright universe, I see your game."

Tenmei stepped forward this time, an orb of light appearing in his hand. "My turn. You guys run, I'll hold him off."

"What is it with you guys and dumb ideas?!" Sora complained, before being dragged off again. Tenmei only chuckled, before staring the dog down, the ball of light bouncing in his hand.

"Hey there, Fido... wanna play fetch?" Tenmei stated, giving a small smirk as the beast growled down at him. He then chucked the ball directly at the creature, stunning it momentarily as he dashed back from his spot, running through the door as Sora and the myserious man closed it behind him, causing the three headed dog beast to run into it head first, a thump on the other side signaling that it fell to the floor knocked out from it's attempted assault on Tenmei.

"Dumb ideas, huh?" Ren stated, looking down at Sora. "I dare say we got out of that well off."

"And besides, it was _your_ dumb idea to try and face Hades on his own turf without any backup plan", Tenmei pointed out, turning the tables on the wielder of the Kingdom Key. "If we hadn't been here to help you, you'd probably still be running from the Lord of the Dead right now."

"Y-Yeah, but..." Sora attempted, looking between them both. "Uh... Auron, wanna back me up on this?" However, when there was no response, Sora turned around, seeing that the man in red had gone missing. "Huh? Where'd he go?"

Ren only glanced behind him for a moment before shaking his head. "We'll see him again... in the meantime, we need to return to the surface and figure out another plan. Plus, the girls are up there recovering and we don't wanna make them worry."

At that, Tenmei had the decency to blush, but said nothing else on the matter. He began walking towards the coliseum silently, leading the boys back to where Hikari and Yumi were waiting, with Yumi still pouting a bit while Hikari looked bored as she sat on the steps. The second she saw Ren emerge, however, her expression perked up instantly. "There you guys are! What took you so long?"

"We had a talk with the devil", Ren sarcastically stated, giving a dismissive wave. "And I fought him and stuff, ya know. The usual."

Yumi blinked, unsure what to make of that. "O...kay?" she said, tilting her head. She soon stood up, stretching a bit. "So, I think our old trainer is in the lobby talking with Hercules. Wanna see if the legendary hero has a way to fight whatever the heck the Underworld does to us?"

Sora nodded. "That sounds like a good idea... then maybe we can finally get some progress with Hades."

"Okay, timeout", Tenmei called, glaring over at Sora. "Why do you want to make a deal with the god of the Underworld? You do realize that is a really, _really_ dumb idea, right?"

"Well, it's something I told Meg I would do for her", Sora explained. "We saved her from a pack of Heartless, and she told us the whole situation. Hercules is fighting huge monsters, one after the other. He's strong, but he's not invincible. So, I need to make Hades hear me out, see if he'll lighten the load a bit so Herc can have a bit of a break instead of going at it nonstop."

Hikari suddenly went wide eyed, turning to Ren. "Wait... you _fought_ Hades!?"

"Finally one of you gets it", Ren grumbled, looking at Hikari.

"You do realize that is nothing to joke about and that is a really, really, _really_ stupid idea, right!?" Hikari shouted at him, bonking him on the head a bit. Ren rubbed his head, muttering something about how someone else would've appreciated the joke, before sighing to himself.

"Anyway, let's go talk to Herc."

As the group turned to walk in, though, that was when the hero decided to step out. He looked a bit worse for wear, letting out a tired sigh, until he looked down and spotted his friends. "Sora! Donald! Goofy!"

"It's great to see you, Hercules!" Sora said, greeting his friend with a high five. They began talking, catching up a bit, until Hercules noticed the others.

"And you are?"

"My name is Tenmei", the former prince offered, giving a slight nod. "These are my friends, Ren, Shun, Hikari and Yumi. I believe Phil let us borrow a bit of the arena before so we could do some personal training a little over a year ago."

"Oh, yeah! I remember him mentioning you guys!" Hercules said, smiling warmly. "Said you five had great hero potential!"

"Just like us!" Donald said proudly, puffing his chest a bit. "After all, we're heroes, too!"

"A-hyuk, I think you mean junior heroes, Donald", Goofy pointed out, causing the duck to deflate a bit with a scowl on his face.

"Anyway", Tenmei interrupted, before Donald could yell at his pal, "we need to head into the Underworld for something. Do you think you could give us a hand?"

"The Underworld, huh?" Herc mused, rubbing his chin a bit. "Well, I can see if I can go borrow the Olympus Stone for you... it's what the gods use when they have to visit Hades for whatever reason."

"That would be really helpful, Herc!" Sora stated, smiling. "And hey, maybe we can get some training with Phil while you're gone?"

"Sounds like a good idea", Hercules said with a smile. "I'll catch up with you guys soon, then." The exhausted hero turned, walking off towards the exit of the coliseum, while Tenmei scratched his chin.

"Extra training, hm?" he mused. He thought about asking the satyr about his own "problem", but soon decided against it. He opted, instead, to make his own way out. "I'm going to go to the nearby city and see if I can find some books or something. You guys have fun without me, and I'll try to be back before Hercules comes back."

"B-books?" Hikari asked, confused as Tenmei walked off. "About what?"

"Maybe it's about the light and the darkness", Shun cracked his same joke, nudging Ren, but the jade eyed teen only glared at his friend.

"Why would he need books about light and darkness?" Yumi asked, baffled. "He's a Prince of Twilight."

Shun sighed at that, leaning over to Ren. "Would that _someone_ you mentioned earlier laugh at that?"

"No, she would not", Ren bluntly stated, despite no memory of the girl in question remaining. Shun's ego deflated, they walked off to meet up with Phil, who was so busy putting up posters that he talked to them as if they were Hercules, and only after hearing Sora, Donald and Goofy laugh, turned around and noticed them.

"Well, if it isn't the junior heroes!" Phil greeted, shaking the hands of Sora, Donald and Goofy, before he looked up at Ren and the others. "And... wait, weren't there five of you?"

"Tenmei is in town", Shun grumpily stated, still sore about Ren's earlier comment. "Looking at books about birds and whatever."

Phil quirked an eyebrow, before looking over at Ren. "What's got his toga in a twist?"

"He's just upset that he's not funny", Ren muttered. "Anyway, do you mind if we do some training here? It'll pass the time until either Hercules or Tenmei comes back from their errands."

"Of course. Time to give the junior heroes another lesson, after all. Gotta keep at it if they want to be a part of the big leagues", Phil said with a chuckle. In no time, the entire group was doing some training, while Tenmei finally returned, reading a book with slightly wider eyes. As he entered the training ground, he closed the book and sent it to his own room via dark corridor, his cheeks dusted a little pink.

"Well... glad I found _that_ out through my own means instead of asking someone else", he said softly. "Heavens knows how Shun would have described it... and I don't think I'd handle hearing stuff like that come from Hikari or Ren. And I would never have even thought Yumi would know about those... _things_."

"What things?" came Yumi's response, and the former prince practically jumped out of his skin, letting out a rather loud yelp as he looked to the redhead, who had managed to sneak up on him thanks to his bad tunnel-vision habit.

"Y-Yumi! Hi! Nothing!" Tenmei said in a panic, his face flaring up a bit. He soon managed to recompose himself, clearing his throat. "N-nothing you have to worry about. Just... doing some private research."

"Research on the-" Shun began to shout from a bit away, before he was knocked out by Ren.

"You weren't ready", Ren pointed out, before dragging Shun off to heal him.

_Thank you for the save,_ Tenmei thought to himself. "A-anyway, I'm guessing Herc isn't back yet?"

Hikari walked over, pointing over at the doorway. "He's actually just coming back right now, so you're right on time."

_Good, now no one else needs to know what I had to do today. Things are turning up Tenmei!_ the prince cheered on the inside, though he turned to Hercules in a rather calm manner. "So... how did it go?"

"I'm sorry, Tenmei... it looks like the Olympus Stone was stolen by some creep in a black coat", the hero said, slumping his shoulders a bit in disappointment.

"Demyx", Ren whispered under his breath, which was only heard by Tenmei. "Alright, we will get it back for you... Hikari, Yumi, you two figure out what to do to survive down there without turning into jello?"

Yumi paled a bit, taking a few steps back. "H-how about I stay up here and... and... train a bit more? I mean, I still need to do some strength training, a-and I'm trying something new with throwing my shield, and-"

Unfortunately, Hikari was not on her sister's side this time. "I think I have something that'll definitely help... but all we'll be able to do is provide support."

"Good enough", Ren nodded, before looking at Yumi and walking over to her, putting his arm around her shoulder and beginning to guide her. "Well, looks like your strength training will be on Underworld heartless!"

"Y-yay..." Yumi said flatly, obviously not looking forward to being dragged back to the Underworld.

"Alright, leave it to me", Hikari stated, before closing her eyes and chanting a bit, before an orb of light began to hover over her head, creating a three foot radius circle around her. She opened her eyes, sweat dropping a bit. "...I thought it would be bigger than that... Well, as long as Yumi stands within the light, she should be _somewhat_ immune from the effects."

"Somewhat?!" Yumi squeaked, realizing she was boxed in. The boys surrounded the light circle, keeping her from escaping. "... I hate you all."

"We love you too", Shun sarcastically replied, smirking. "Now let's go, before we lose our chance to catch the thief." Everyone (except Yumi) nodded, walking into the Underworld. Instantly, the funny feeling returned to Sora, who sighed in frustration. Meanwhile, Hikari and Yumi felt a bit of a jolt, but it wasn't like before where they literally could not do anything. Hikari sighed, shaking her head a bit.

"Well... I did say it wasn't perfect", Hikari muttered, clearly not happy with her own magic. She gripped her staff a bit tighter, trying to keep the others from noticing the significant drain that spell had on her. "Once we get that stone, we should be just fine though..."

"At least you can _do_ something", Yumi griped, clearly not having a good time. "I only have a chance to fight if anything comes close enough to the circle. Otherwise, my only role is occasionally feeding you an ether and chucking potions to the others."

"Hey, better than nothing", Ren stated, before sighing and walking forward. "Now let's go be annoyed by a stupid Nobody."

"Hey, would you rather be carried _princess style_ by your _prince_ again while you can't do anything?" Shun teased, putting big emphasis on the words prince and princess as he walked after Ren, laughing and making sure he stayed as far from the circle radius as possible.

Yumi flushed bright red, and she grit her teeth as she glared daggers at the boy, obviously not finding the joke amusing. "Next chance I get, Shun, you are going to be _buried_ here by my shield!"

"Will you leave her alone?" Tenmei said, glaring a bit at Shun. "You've already got your jabs at me, you can leave her out of it."

"Jabs?" Hikari asked, curious. "What jabs?"

Before Shun could even respond, Tenmei grabbed him, quickly covering his mouth as muffled words tried to escape. "Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Pretend you heard nothing!" With that, he dragged Shun further away, spending the rest of the walk focusing on finding and retrieving the Olympus stone, while Hikari, Yumi, and the half-pints all looked rather confused.

Sometime of nothing but wondering what the heck happened between Tenmei and Shun later, the half-pints were once again left confused by the appearance of the Organization XIII member, who lowered his hood, revealing his blonde hair and blue hair, which looked at them in wonder. "What a second... Roxas? Rexn?"

"Hi Demyx", Ren greeted him, as Sora looked baffled.

"Excuse me?" Sora asked, quirking an eyebrow in confusion.

Demyx blinked, before realizing that something was going on. Mumbling to himself, he pulled out a sheet of paper and began to read. "Rexn... will definitely remember you and hate you... HEY!"

"Well, you are an idiot", Ren stated, which caused Demyx to glare, before he turned to look at the paper again.

"Roxas... if the subject fails to respond, use aggression to liberate his true disposition... right", Demyx sighed, looking annoyed. "Man, did they ever pick the wrong guy to do this one."

"You're... bizarre", Sora said, as if trying to find the right word. As he said that, though Demyx ruffled into one of his pockets, pulling out a stone with the symbol of the gods, a lightningbolt, carve onto it.

"He's gotta be the thief!" Goofy declared, pointing accusingly at Demyx.

"Now, that's just plain rude", Demyx retorted, raising the stone as it enveloped him in a warm glow, showing he now resisted the effects of the Underworld.

"Then what is _that_", Ren pointed at the stone, looking at Demyx with a look of annoyance.

"Would you believe me if I said I found it?" the nobody asked with a sheepish smile, summoning his weapon.

"I'd be more likely to believe that Larxene was nice", Ren smirked, before summoning his keyblade.

Demyx scowled at that, before deciding he had enough talking. "Dance, water, DANCE!" he shouted, beginning to play his sitar, summoning a large amount of watery-looking clones.

Ren's eye twitched at that, before with a single swipe, all the water clones were vanquished by the Twilight Keyblader. "Wanna try again, or are we done here?"

The Melodius Nocturne sweat a bit at that, quickly deciding that it was best if he get out of there in a hurry as he failed to notice the stone falling from his person. "Roxas!" he called out to Sora, a pleading look in his eye. "Come back to us!" And with that, he vanished into a Dark Corridor, leaving the group staring in confusion.

"Who was that kook?" Sora asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"All you need to know is that he's an idiot", Ren stated, walking over to the stone and picking it up. "...but he's still dangerous... anyway, catch Sora!"

The wielder of Kingdom Key let out a yelp as he caught the stone, fumbling a bit with it before managing to get a good grip. Then, with a raise of his hand, the stone went into effect, making everyone immune to the Underworld's curse, automatically dispelling Hikari's magic circle.

"Oh, that feels so much better!" Hikari sighed as she smiled, almost melting again but remaining on her feet.

"Freedom! Sweet merciful freedom!" Yumi cheered, jumping around a bit. "I can finally punch things again!"

Hikari sighed a bit, suddenly swaying on her feet. "Oh boy... okay, maybe I don't feel as good as I thought..."

As she stumbled a bit, it was surprisingly Tenmei who caught her before she fell, supporting her back a bit. "Whoa, hey, take it easy", he said, helping her stand straight again. He patted her shoulders gently while she stared in surprise at his willingness to help her. "Even at a low cost, that was a lot of magic you were channeling. You might need a bit to recover completely before we keep moving."

"Y-yeah", Hikari muttered, looking down a bit. "T-thanks."

Ren looked at them for a moment before looking at Sora, who seemed antsy. "What?"

"We need to keep moving", he replied, looking focused. "Hades has Meg trapped down here, too. Were you not paying attention when he showed up?"

"Hades was at the coliseum?" came Tenmei's confused reply. "When did that happen?"

Sora sighed in frustration. "So you _didn't_ pay attention... well, Hades has Meg down here and we need to help her!"

"And we should trust Hades?" Ren asked, actually shocked at Sora's belief in Hades' word. "Well... if you say so, but I think it's a trap."

"Even if it is, she's a friend of Herc", Goofy said. "I don't think we have much of a choice, either way."

"Okay", Hikari stated, looking a bit better than before. "Let's get moving then. I think I'm good to go."

Everyone else nodded, as Tenmei took the lead once more. After only a few more minutes, the group found themselves in front of some sort of lock. There, carved into the lock, was the image of Meg, trapped in the stone, and with one swish of the Kingdom Key, Sora unlocked it, freeing her... sort of. It was only when they arrived at the next area did they see how elaborate this plan was, as a familiar face greeted them again.

"Now _that_ is what I call a key", Hades stated, grinning. "Gee, thanks for your help!" Then his malicious grin turned back into the bored deadpan as he waved them off. "Now have a nice day." And in a puff of smoke, he was gone.

Of course, they weren't left alone for too long, as a familiar, obnoxious laugh echoed from behind them. There stood Pete, his own smug smirk on his face. "What's the matter? Can't fight in the Underworld? Boo-hoo-hoo!" he mocked, laughing again.

"Better think again", Tenmei commented, as the group fought to defend Meg from the heartless. Pete looked stunned as they effortlessly defeated the heartless that were summoned to combat them, surprised at how they were all able to use the full power in the depths of the underworld, his mouth wide open after the swarm was vanquished by the group.

Then, in the middle of the fight, Pet found himself knocked to the ground by a certain winged steed, signaling that Hercules arrived to join the brawl. "Sorry I'm late", he said, helping put her on Pegasus' back. "Keep her safe. I'll meet you back at the coliseum." With a nod, the flying horse took off with haste.

"What about you?" Sora asked.

"I'll show these guys what happens when you mess with a true hero!" Herc said, flexing his right arm a bit. As he moved to fight Pete and his heartless, though, Tenmei stood beside him.

"As much as I trust you... I'm going to offer support", he said simply, implying there was no room for argument. Herc nodded, and the two warriors set off to do battle against Pete and his heartless, with everyone else just watching.

"So... anyone have a deck of cards?" Ren asked.

"Ren, shut up", Shun growled.

"Guys?!" came Tenmei's voice, suddenly loud and alarmed. The group turned to see that all of Pete's heartless suddenly possessed red eyes, and were attacking much more aggressively... even lashing out against Pete as well. "We could use some backup!"

"What's the big idea?!" Pete squawked, ducking as one of the Hookbats narrowly missed his head. "You mooks are supposed to be listenin' to me!"

Ren, realizing what was happened, stepped forward and summoned his keyblade. "The heartless obey whoever is strongest, Pete... and I hate to say it, but someone stronger then you is messing around with them right now. Guys! Let's go!"

"Finally", Yumi said, flexing her metal-covered hand. "A challenge!" She let out a loud yell as she charged forward, joining Tenmei's side and striking at the empowered creatures with her shield, cutting through one of them clean in half.

"How sharp is the edge of that thing?!" Shun asked, stabbing another heartless with his gunblade.

"It isn't!"

"... I think that's even worse."

"Less talky, more fighty!" Hikari shouted at them, sending a blast of light magic to vaporize a few heartless. The group fought against the empowered creatures, with Pete doing basically nothing but whimpering and ducking whenever a heartless attacked him. Eventually, the swarm was vanquished, leaving everyone panting and Pete to look flabbergasted at them all.

"Er... this changes nothing!" Pete yelled, before running off, sweating profusely from his forehead.

"So... we won, right?" Sora asked, smiling. "Mission accomplished?"

"I wouldn't be so sure", came the smooth voice of Hades, as he appeared once more. "I think 'wonderboy' here made a bit of a mistake... what's happened with that hydra? You know, the one you forgot to finish off?"

Herc looked confused for a moment, but soon his eyes widened, and a look of despair formed on his face. "No..." he whispered, before sprinting towards the coliseum. The rest of the group, realizing something was very wrong, shot after him, but it was already too late. The hydra had gone nuts since Hercules left, and the coliseum was completely destroyed, leaving only a large pile of rubble behind it, and the serpent-like monster let out a guttural roar, staring down at the heroes with a hungry gaze.

"Well, looks like we have more work to do", Shun groaned, looking at the hydra with an annoyed look on his face.

"This is all my fault", Hercules moaned, the glow he usually had fading as he lost the will to fight. "Some hero I turned out to be..."

"We'll handle this, Herc! Get somewhere safe!" Sora urged, while the rest of the fighters got ready, planning on their assault.

"Get up on the hydra's back!" came a familiar voice. Phil, able to escape the carnage, stood on top of some rubble, standing next to a golden urn.

"...I feel like he's just gonna keep shouting that unless one of us does", Hikari stated, looking at Phil.

Yumi gave a sigh, before doing as Phil asked. While the hydra was distracted, trying to eat Sora, she leapt from the hydra's back, as Phil tossed the urn up into the air, and with a grunt, she flung the urn straight down onto the monster's spine, stunning it as it howled in pain. This gave Sora an opportunity, and with a single slash, cut the hydra's head clean off.

Only for three more heads to sprout in its place.

"That's... disgusting", Tenmei mentioned, his face twisted like he smelled something horrible. "Can we just kill this thing and be done with it, already?"

Agreeing, Ren also leapt into battle, and before long the hydra (which had about nine heads by the time it was defeated) fell in battle, giving the heroes the win. Of course, it still felt somewhat of a hollow victory, as the stadium was still in ruin and Hercules was in a state of depression.

"Nothing we can really do for him right now", Ren said, looking at the others. "We should probably go for now, and check on him later."

Tenmei glanced over at the hero, wishing there was more he could say. But he knew anything he offered the hero either wouldn't believe... or he wouldn't be able to believe his own words. He gave a sigh, nodding. "Then we better get moving. Back to the ship, I suppose?"

Sora nodded, before turning to Meg. "Let us know if you hear anything about the Heartless and Organization XIII, alright?"

"Of course", she said. "And don't worry about Wonderboy. I'll take care of him."

With all they could do completed, the gang soon returned to their ship, and they began their journey to the next world... one where Sora, Donald and Goofy would end up on their own.

**XxXxXxX**

**And with that, another chapter is done and set! Hope you enjoyed it, and thankfully, this time in my apartment has given me a lot more time to work on my chapters, and the ones that me and Blood have done together!**

**Thanks, again, to BloodWingdAngel for helping me write these chapters!**


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